


Gregory Despair Show

by Toripocalypse, Veneesla



Category: Dangan Ronpa, Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Gregory Horror Show
Genre: Blood and Gore, Child Death, Eye Horror, Multi, Needles, Parental Abuse, Sexual References, coarse language
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-08
Updated: 2016-12-03
Packaged: 2018-08-29 20:42:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 34
Words: 212,999
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8504713
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Toripocalypse/pseuds/Toripocalypse, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Veneesla/pseuds/Veneesla
Summary: Trapped in a mysterious hotel with their memories wiped, seventeen of the lost souls of Gregory House must murder each other to win the ultimate prize: returning to reality.





	1. Introductions

**Author's Note:**

> _Guess what’s done? :D_   
>  _Ven and I worked really hard on this chapter, even if it’s mostly introductions and us floundering around trying to get used to the characters. I really hope all of you enjoy it. <3_   
>  **AN: Hello, everyone! This is me and Veneesla’s first collaborative piece as well as our first Gregory Horror Show fanfic! After we both got into Dangan Ronpa, we couldn’t resist tossing the characters into a situation like this. I won’t babble for too long, but I’d like to apologize in advance if any of the content in this story conflicts with any of your headcanons. Please try to keep an open mind and enjoy this story for what it is.  
> **
> 
>  
> 
> **Oh, and we gave the guests their fanon names, Guest Girl is Sarah and Guest Boy is Steve. Well… that’s all I need to go over! I hope you enjoy Gregory Despair Show!  
> **  
> 

_Ugh… my head…_  


Everything was black. Sarah’s stomach was churning and her brain was absolutely pounding with white hot pain. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t get her eyes open, feeling as if they were glued shut.  


Finally, her ears stopped ringing and she heard voices.  


“She’s the only one still unconscious…”  


“We have better things to worry about than her!”  


“Leave a _lady_ unattended? Are you crazy?”  


“For heaven’s sake, brother, don’t you have better things to worry about than her? Like how we got here, for instance?”  


“Seester, get back, por favor!”  


Sarah felt prickly arms close around her and she bristled. “Ugh…”  


“Oh, she made a noise!” a new, feminine voice exclaimed.  


“Excellent observation,” someone scoffed.  


Sarah finally opened her eyes, her vision unblurring slowly. She saw a whole manner of colorful people surrounding her… if people was even the right word for it. There were several rats, a flying dog, a very standoffish looking stitched up cat, among all other kinds of creatures. Among the weirdest of all was the person holding her, though… he seemed to be part human, part cactus. His skin was dark green in colour and was covered in prickles. His face brandished a long, thick black moustache and rugged sideburns. Over his right shoulder, a fully loaded bandolier hung loosely. He wore tattered blue pants and a gun was in his holster. Despite his threatening weaponry, he seemed deeply concerned with Sarah’s welfare.  


“She’s even more beautiful with her eyes open…” the cactus man sighed, his voice heavily accented.  


“Who… are you?” Sarah blinked at the cactus guy and he swooned. She squinted at him and added: “Can you help me up…?”  


“It would be my pleasure, senorita!” In no time flat, Sarah was up on her feet and could get a proper look around.  


She was in what looked like a living room…no, it was too big to be a living room. Maybe it was a lounge… either way, this confirmed the strange creatures surrounding her weren’t a hallucination caused by her lightheadedness… The room, whatever it was, was dimly lit by candles in holders on the wall and on the small table in the centre of the room. It seemed very dreary in this light, and the dark greenish grey and pictures of shadowy forests and blocked roads certainly weren’t helping in lightening the atmosphere. On one side of the table was a dull, very faded red leather couch and on the other was two chair of similar design. Sarah was relieved to see another human among the creatures; a boy about her age. Hopefully they would get along…  


“Ooh, now that we’re all awake, can we do some introductions?” A flying dog that radiated sparkles suggested, hugging her magic wand to her chest. “I think that would be a _great_ first step to figuring out what’s going on!”  


The dog wore a long yellow dress that stretched down to her feet and she had wings stretching out of her back that were white and pure. The dimly lit room didn’t take away from the happiness she radiated which was most likely made up for by her rainbow coloured eyes, perky face and thick eyelashes.  


“What a waste of time…” the stitched up cat huffed.  


This stitched up cat wore plain brown pants like those of a farm boy, that was filled with sewn up rips. His shirt was striped blue and red with the name Jack Ketch on it. Sarah had no idea who that was, but she doubted it was the name of the poor feline. The cat not only had his lips and eyelids sewn, but also had stitched feet, wrists and a little on the tip of his tail. Sarah wondered how he could cope with that agony.  


“I don’t see you having any better suggestions!” She poked the cat with her wand and he shut up. “Let’s start with you, sweetie!” She pointed her wand at Sarah, who blinked in confusion.  


“Um… well…” Sarah steepled her pointer fingers together as she thought. It really made her nervous having fifteen pairs of eyes on her at once… “My name is Sarah, and I have no idea what I’m doing here.”  


“That makes two of us,” The cat sighed, making eye contact with Sarah. She felt her heart run cold; his eyes were a bright blood red, peering out through stitches in his eyelids. Who did this to the poor thing?! Sarah wanted to clock them one! Talking and bipedal or not, this was still a cat, and Sarah held nothing but resentment for people who would hurt any sort of feline. “My name is Neko Zombie and I think we should be focused on looking for food.”  


“We can find food later!” the dog clocked Neko Zombie with her staff again. “My name’s Angel Dog, and it’s a pleasure to meet you all!” She smiled a cute, thousand watt smile that would melt any heart in a fifty mile radius.  


Sadly, everyone in the room was too on edge to appreciate her radiance.  


To the left of Angel Dog was a short rat. He was about the size of a ten year old child and he was grinning mischievously, his big purple eyes sparkling with excitement. His fur was cream coloured and his hair was a vivid blonde. His attitude was already off-putting and he hadn’t even said a word. Something was not right about this kid. He was definitely not as innocent as he looked.  


“This is sooo cool!” He clapped his hands together and tugged the jacket of the much older rat next to him. “Grandpa, Grandpa! We’re stuck in a house with alllll these strangers! I bet something exciting is going to happen!”  


“Calm down, James!” the old rat pushed his grandson away. “This is nothing to be excited over! We’re completely locked in!”  


“I know!” James giggled obnoxiously and Sarah felt something in her brain snap. If she had to live with this kid, she wouldn’t be happy.  


“I’m Gregory,” the older rat introduced himself, placing a hand on James’ head. “This is my grandson, James. Apologies for his energy. He’s a little bit of a troublemaker.” With that, Gregory chuckled darkly.  


Gregory had long straight blonde hair, a black and red striped shirt and a purple jacket. The sides of it were stretched, most likely from James’ constant tugging whenever he was excited.  


The next one in the circle was a gleaming, golden… _thing._ Upon closer inspection, Sarah realized it was a set of scales. On one set of scales, in a cage, was a shiny pink heart and on the other side was a lustrous dollar sign. It hung from the roof and was weighed down by heavy looking weights attached to it’s underside. It almost blinded her with its sheer, shining luster. How did she not notice this thing earlier?  


“I’m Judgement Boy Gold!” He beamed at Sarah, revealing sharp, pointy teeth that were just as shiny as his body. Judging by the masculine tone of his voice, Sarah decided it was all right to mentally refer to him as male. “And this little guy right here…” Judgement Boy Gold moved aside to reveal a smaller, more colorful set of scales that was hiding behind him. “Is Judgement Boy, my pupil.”  


“Nice to meet you!” he said, his voice loud and enthusiastic, swinging the two cages attached to his arms. “I can tell just by looking at you that you have a real spark!”  


“A… spark?” Sarah asked, taking a step back. She didn’t like the way Judgement Boy was eyeing her up…  


“Yes, you seem like you’d stop at nothing to solve our little problem at hand!” He nodded, his already wide grin growing even wider.  


Judgement Boy Gold floated closer to Sarah and whispered: “That’s his way of asking you to check the door.”  


“Not now!” Angel Dog flew in between them, pushing Gold away. “We still need to go through the circle and introduce everyone! We can’t figure out what’s going on unless we can all get along!”  


“Geez, lady, you’re crazy!” James pulled Angel Dog’s tail and she shrieked.  


“Just… keep it going!” She glared at James and Sarah felt her heart freeze. For such a friendly-seeming dog, she sure had a scary glare! “Your turn!” She pointed her wand at the female rat next to Gregory, who smirked.  


This rat reminded Sarah of those old ladies who try too hard to be young. She wore a black robe and had a silver ribbon tied around her waist. Around her neck was a necklace decorated with sharp teeth. 

Her hair straggled down her skull stiffly like straw and was yellowy with a green tinge. Her eyelashes matched her pink irises, her lipstick was a very dark pink, and her eyelids were both different shades of it. On her left cheek and right ear were lipstick marks that were, not at all surprisingly, light pink.  


“Just call me Gregory Mama,” she ruffled Gregory’s hair a little too roughly. “I’d like to apologize for my idiot son. He doesn’t get any of that from me!”  


“Mama, not in front of all these people!” Gregory turned bright red all the way to the tips of his ears and gave his mother a chastising look.  


“This son of mine will probably only hinder us!” Gregory Mama gave her son a smack upside his head. “He’s not all right in the head.”  


“I-I promise she’s lying!” Gregory dithered, not wanting to step on his mother’s toes too much. Judging by the way his mama was glowering at him, Sarah could tell they didn’t have the healthiest relationship out there.  


“Next~!” Angel Dog pointed to a blue man whose head resembled a record player… actually, upon closer inspection, Sarah realized it was a record player. His human-like body seemed formally dressed, with a white frilly cravat and purple tuxedo. His black hair had been gelled in a formal style as well and he proudly wore a monocle.  


“I’m Poor Conductor!” He bowed gallantly, a smile on his strange mouth. “I’m looking forward to performing for all of you!” His eyes sparkled at the mere prospect of it.  


“Save it, friend!” Angel Dog smiled down at him and the sparkle in his eyes faded away. “Um… what about… you?” She seemed a bit afraid of the next person in line and visibly shrunk back. A quick glance was all it took for Sarah to see why she was so intimidated.  


This guy was a toweringly tall candle-man, glowing red eyes peering out from a shadowed face. His shiny white clothing and pristine red apron did nothing to dull the fear on everyone’s minds. He was glaring at everyone in the room, his arms folded.  


“Hell’s Chef,” He nodded curtly at the cactus guy next to Sarah and he made a terrified squeaking noise under his breath.  


“Well, aren’t you the handsomest thing I’ve ever seen?” A pink lizard lady with darker pink spots a bit further down the circle rested her hands on her cheeks, openly drooling over this Hell’s Chef guy. He grunted with irritation at her comment, looking away from her pointedly. That didn’t deter the lizard woman though, and she let out a tiger growl.  


Sarah’s eyebrows arched. This Hell’s Chef guy was obviously a lot of things, but “handsome” certainly wasn’t one of them!  


“Moving on!” Angel Dog boomed, not pleased with the lizard lady’s sudden outburst.  


Next in the line was a little red skinned boy who appeared to have a roulette wheel atop his head like a hat. His mouth drooled excitedly as all the attention was turned on him.  


“I’m Roulette Boy!” He announced with a little too much enthusiasm, hopping up and down. “I looooove playing games! If you ever want to play one, just spin me!” He tilted his head forwards. “C'mon! Hurry up and spin me!”  


“Grandpa, Grandpa! I’m going to try!” James tugged on Gregory’s jacket before lurching forward.  


“James! No! Get back here!” Gregory demanded.  


Angel Dog bonked James on the head with her wand and tutted at him. “He’s right. We don’t have time for games just yet! We still need to introduce each other. Get back to that crazy old rat.”  


“You hurt me, lady!” James rubbed his head. “And you won’t let me play games! I don’t like you!”  


“James, that’s enough!” Gregory grabbed his grandson’s collar and pulled him back to their spot in the circle.  


Angel Dog giggled sweetly now that everything was going her way again. “You’re up next!” She pointed her wand at the next person in the circle.  


It was the human boy, who was shaking like a leaf, overcome by everything that was going on. His clothes were an ordinary blue top and light brown pants. He seemed pretty average, unlike most the others in the room. “Suh-Steve… my name’s Steve…” His eyes flicked around the circle, lingering on Hell’s Chef a bit longer than everyone else. “Sorry… I’m a little… overwhelmed…” He ran a hand through his messy reddish hair.  


“That’s understandable!” Angel Dog flew forward, scooping Steve up with minimal effort and depositing him on one of the couches. “You should rest until you feel better. No one here is going to hurt you, keep that in mind!”  


Steve swallowed and nodded at her, his smile thin. Angel Dog could tell he didn’t believe her, but she gave him her most radiant smile before returning to the circle.  


Without waiting for Angel Dog to point to her, the lizard woman rested a hand against her chest, flashing a grin at the group. “My name is Catherine! I’m a registered nurse and I’ve been told I’m a very hard worker. If any of you aren’t feeling well, come see me! I’ll make you feel right as rain in no time!” Resting her chin on her hands, she gave everyone a soothing smile.  


Sarah felt her heart flood with relief. If they were really truly stuck here, it would be nice to have a nurse around…even if she looked a little scary! Catherine certainly looked the role she claimed, Sarah reassured herself. Her clothing was all that of a typical nurse, including the small, generally outdated, hat.  


“And what about… oh my God, are you okay?” Angel Dog covered her mouth when she took in the next person.  


It was a dog, a very tall dog, but that wasn’t the most striking thing about him. He was dressed in a suit and his head was covered in bandages. At the very top of his head, an oversized saber was embedded in his skull. Blood oozed out of it and a little ran down his neck.  


“I feel fine! Much better than usual!” He smiled at Angel Dog and she shrunk back.  


“I’ll…take your word for it. What’s your name?”  


“Mummy Papa, it’s nice to meet you all! You all seem like very interesting people… I hope we can get along!”  


Sarah thought he sounded a bit woozy… his voice was heavy and slow.  


Next in line was an imposing clock-man with a mustache made of clock hands and thick lips. He wore a white shirt with a purple vest over the top and a wind-up key poked out from his head. The words **WORLD IS YOUR’S** were written across his pinkish forehead. “My name is Clock Master… and I feel really strange…”  


He rubbed the sides of his head, furrowing his brow.  


“You and me both, friend,” Gregory snickered. “You’re hardly alone.”  


“We have better things to worry about, I know…but…” Clock Master kept massaging his head, as if he was intense pain. Angel Dog shrugged and figured they’d better move on.  


Next was one of the cacti who, judging by her appearance, must have been related to the man who helped Sarah up. The resemblance was practically uncanny. She was dressed like a typical cowgirl with a long dress and a vest of cow skin. Her dark green hair was done in two plaits and she had a lasso slung over her shoulder.  


“I’m Cactus Girl!” She flipped one of her braids, resting one fist against a hip. “It’s nice to meet all of you. I hope we can figure out what’s going on…” She cast a nervous glance to the enormous set of doors.  


“Last but not least!” Angel Dog beamed at Cactus Gunman, who tipped his hat to her.  


“Thank you, senorita. I am Cactus Gunman. The little lady who just spoke is my beloved seester. It’s a pleasure to meet all of you…” His gaze moved around the circle and he looked every last woman up and down. When he got to Sarah, he nodded approvingly and she bristled. How could he be thinking of girls at a time like this?  


“Now that that’s out of the way…” Judgement Boy Gold’s booming voice cut through the brief silence. “Can we check the door again?”  


“I don’t suppose you know how to pick locks?” Judgement Boy leaned towards Sarah, his blonde brows arching.  


“I… don’t. At least I don’t think I do…” Sarah scratched her head. She couldn’t remember much of _anything,_ honestly… but she’d worry about that later.  


She approached the door with both Judgement Boys and a very enthusiastic Cactus Gunman following after her like grotesque puppies. She grabbed one of the door’s handles and tugged. The door didn’t even budge… Sarah tried the other handle and pulled with every ounce of strength she had, but that didn’t even get the slightest movement from the stupid door.  


“Allow _me_ to try!” Gunman gently moved Sarah aside. “A delicate girl such as yourself shouldn’t strain her arms.” He winked at Sarah and she barely resisted the urge to roll her eyes.  


He rested a booted foot against the door, gritted his teeth together, and pulled with all his might.  


Sadly, he miscalculated the door’s resistance and his fingers slipped. He ended up launching himself backwards, landing square on his butt.  


His sister, who witnessed the whole thing, burst into a giggling fit and was soon joined by James and Roulette Boy.  


“Nice one, old man!” James called out.  


Cactus Gunman’s face burned and he stood up, brushing himself off. “That door isn’t going anywhere…” he grumbled.  


“Oh!” Sarah exclaimed, an idea popping into her head. “Why don’t _you_ try?” She pointed at Gold. “You seem awfully strong, since you carry those weights around…”  


Judgement Boy Gold’s cheeks colored red. “That’s flattering and all, but…”  


“We don’t have fingers,” Judgement Boy finished, holding up one of his stumpy arms, the cage that was attached to it swinging from side to side. “See?”  


“That door is a lost cause,” Gregory cut into the conversation, shrugging his shoulders as he approached the small group. “I think it would be in our best interest to forget about it for now.”  


Cactus Gunman sighed. “He’s right. We have… a lot more to worry about.”  


“I have no idea where we are or how we got here…” Gold rested his round hands on his temples and closed his eyes, as if that would somehow make the reason jump into his brain.  


“Usually you know everything!” Judgement Boy looked up at his mentor, his eyes sparkling as much as Gold himself.  


Judgement Boy Gold opened one of his eyes. “Flattery will get you nowhere. We’ve been over this.”  


“Sorry…” Judgement Boy shrunk back, his cheeks flushing and his voice small.  


“Hey, does anyone here have any idea where we are?” Sarah raised her voice, turning to the group she was stuck with. They had all elected to rest on the various couches or lean against the walls, their minds occupied with thoughts about this creepy place.  


When Sarah got nothing but negative answers, she sighed.  


“It’s okay, senorita!” Cactus Gunman put his arm around her, gently patting her back. “We’ll all figure this out together.”  


“You don’t have to!” an unfamiliar high pitched voice rang out.  


“Who was _that?”_ Poor Conductor held up his hands defensively.  


“Ahhh, are you idiots blind?” All of a sudden, a black and white _thing_ leapt out of nowhere, landing square on Steve’s stomach.  


Steve let out an unmanly shriek, his face paling. He threw the thing off of him and leapt from the couch.  


“Don’t worry, cutie,” Catherine sailed over to him, taking him in her arms. “Nurse Catherine’s here. I’ll keep you safe.”  


Steve’s face turned sheet white.  


“What’s up?” The thing that had leapt from thin air tilted its head to the side, resting a hand on its chin. It was small, at least half the size of James, and split down the middle. One side was black and sinister, and the other was lighter and much more friendly-looking. A horrifying, jagged red eye took up the dark side of its face, along with a smirky grin. A white, sheer veil swayed in front of the little thing’s face with every breath it took. “All of you look like you’ve seen a ghost!”  


“I don’t know who you think you are, but you have no business scaring us like that!” Angel Dog pointed her wand at the new arrival threateningly.  


“Grandpa, Grandpa! That thing is so cool! Can I touch it? Huh? Can I?” James tugged on Gregory’s jacket so hard he almost tore it.  


“James, you don’t know where that’s been!” Gregory scolded his grandson.  


“There will be no touching of me!” The black and white thing began to sweat a bit. “Unless one of you lovely ladies wants to do the touching. I’ll allow that.”  


“Stop beating around the bush!” Cactus Girl stomped a foot. “You said something about us not having to figure out where we are, no?”  


“You’ll tell us if you know what’s good for you!” Gregory Mama raised a sharp nailed finger threateningly.  


“I was just getting to that! Sheesh!” The new arrival pouted. “Anyway, my name is Monoputa, and I-”  


“Wait…” A smirk spread across Cactus Gunman’s face.  


“What did you say your name was?” Cactus Girl added, her eyes big and round.  


“Mo-No-Pu-Ta! Why, is there something funny-”  


Monoputa got his answer when the cactus siblings burst into loud laughter.  


“Grandpa, why is that funny? I don’t get it…” James folded his arms, squinting at the cactus siblings.  


“I’ll tell you when you’re older…” Gregory gently pushed his grandson away.  


“Oh, yeah, yeah, laugh it up! Puta means something else! We get it!” Monoputa stuck out his long, snakelike tongue and blew a raspberry. “Can we get past this?”  


“Okay, Monohooker,” Cactus Girl sniggered behind her hands, which set her brother off again.  


“CALM DOWN OR I’LL DO SOMETHING DRASTIC!” Monoputa shouted so loudly, the entire room shook. That shut up Cactus Gunman and Cactus Girl and they held each other in fear, shaking like palm trees in a hurricane. “Good. Now that that’s out of the way…” He flicked his veil and smirked at the group. “NIce to meet all of you. I know lots about each of you and I’m very pleased that you’ll be staying here!”  


“Wait, _staying?”_ Mummy Dog shook his head. “I can’t stay here! I have a home to go back to…” He held his head as he tried to come up with an image of it, but absolutely nothing popped into his mind. “…probably…” he added under his breath.  


“Well, too bad! There will be a way for you to get home, but that’s a story for tomorrow…” Monoputa leaned forward, his tiny hands on his tiny hips. “I’ve prepared a room for each of you to stay in. I hope you’ll all find them to your liking. They’re right down this hallway!”  


He hopped off the couch and ran to another set of doors near the empty desk. He hopped up, grabbed the handle, and one of the doors swung open with minimal effort.  


“Wait… everything’s moving too fast!” Steve stumbled forward. “What _are_ you?”  


“He’s a Prompter,” Judgement Boy floated next to Steve, nodding sagely. “A really… strange looking Prompter, but he’s definitely one!”  


“What’s a Prompter?” Steve asked, looking more confused than ever. Judgement Boy could practically see question marks above his head.  


“They helped us out back home! Wherever that was…” Judgement Boy held up an arm. “They make these! The cages and hearts and dollar signs. They’re very smart… but they usually don’t talk much.” Judgement Boy gave Monoputa a suspicious look.  


“D-don’t stare at me so intensely with those dreamy eyes!” Monoputa hid his face. “You’re making me embarrassed!”  


“Where did you come from?” Judgement Boy Gold approached Monoputa, looming over him threateningly. “You shouldn’t be here. You should be working!”  


“Oh, but I _am_ working,” Monoputa gave Judgement Boy Gold a patronizing, crooked smile, folding his hands innocently. “I’m working hard on setting up a Special Surprise™for all of you!”  


“A surprise? What kinda surprise? Is it something lame like Grandpa’s birthday gifts?” James tried to look uninterested, but he had a sparkle in his eyes.  


“Tut tut! If I told you, it would ruin it! You’ll learn tomorrow afternoon, I give you my honor as a Prompter!” Monoputa bowed. “Now get to your rooms! You must be exhausted.”  


Judgement Boy and Judgement Boy Gold looked at each other for a few seconds then mutually shrugged. Gold moved through the doorway with Judgement Boy following him like a duckling after its mother.  


“I have so many questions!” Poor Conductor gazed at Monoputa, his red eyes wide. “How-”  


“Not right now, Creepy Guy,” Monoputa shoved him through the doorway and brushed off his hands, his tongue poking out of the corner of his mouth. “Eugh.”  


“I’ll see you in the morning, senorita!” Cactus Gunman kissed Sarah’s hand before cavorting off to his room.  


Sarah scratched her newly prickled hand as she walked through the doorway and down the hall, her brow furrowed. The hallway the door led to was much more well lit than the lobby. There were several doors, much more than enough to accommodate sixteen people. Each door had a little portrait of its occupant done in a papery-looking style.  


“It’s… kind of cute…” Sarah admitted under her breath as she ran her fingers over her own portrait, it was really accurate, it had her exact clothing and her red hair. “It’s a shame something about this place is giving me such a bad feeling in my stomach…” With that, she entered her room and couldn’t help gasping when she saw what was inside.  


Her bed was plush and oversized, which she couldn’t help but be delighted over. Ever since she was a little girl, she wished she could have a double bed all to herself, and finally she could! Giggling happily, she threw herself onto the bed, smiling widely. Other than the bed, not much in the room was extravagant. There was a creaky old wardrobe and a little reading desk and bookshelf, along with a fresh rose in a vase on top of her bedside table.  


Sarah momentarily thought that she should look in that wardrobe for pajamas, but she was far too tired to care right now. She didn’t even realize how exhausted she was… she kicked off her shoes and socks and snuggled under the covers, sighing contentedly and slipping into a peaceful sleep.  


Sarah was blissfully unaware of the horrible news she would get the next afternoon.  



	2. Judgements

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  _I finally finished it! AT LONG LAST!_  
>  _By the way, the art in this chapter is done by the lovely and talented shortlifelongart~_  
>  Enjoy it! 

Sarah woke up early, immediately regretting sleeping in her clothes. Hopefully she wouldn’t smell _too_ awful… strange as her new housemates were, she had a feeling she should stay on their good side.

_Angel Dog_ _was right,_ Sarah thought as she smoothed her sleep-ruffled shirt. _We really should all try to get along… I should try and at least make a few friends._

Sarah tied up her hair in her usual ponytail before heading out into the hallway…

…and nearly got smacked in the face by Judgement Boy.

“Comin’ through!” he said quickly, not even apologizing for nearly braining Sarah with one of his cages.

After a few moments of trying to get over her shock, Sarah figured it wouldn’t hurt to go running after Judgement Boy. She’d be lying if she said she wasn’t curious about what the heck he was running from…

Sarah finally caught up with Judgement Boy at the end of the hallway, when he reached a door he couldn’t get through no matter how hard he tried.

“Locked! Damn it!” Judgement Boy punched the poor unsuspecting door before looking at his shoulder at Sarah. “…why did you follow me?” He turned around, tilting his head slightly.

“I was just wondering what you were running from,” Sarah shrugged, averting her eyes from Judgement Boy. It sounded kind of stupid when she said it out loud… she expected Judgement Boy to chastise her for nosiness.

“Gold,” Judgement Boy swung a bit so he could look behind Sarah. “I think I lost him, though! He’s mad because I was singing a little off-key last night…” Judgement Boy puffed out his cheeks and rolled his eyes. “Also because I haven’t done any judgements yet.” Judgement Boy dropped his voice so it was a low mockery of Gold’s. “ **You can’t get better if you don’t showcase your talent!** That’s what he always tells me.”

“Why do you work with him if you don’t like him?” Sarah asked, leaning against the wall and folding her arms.

“Oh no, I do like him!” Judgement Boy nodded as much as he could. “He’s just…harsh. I don’t feel like dealing with his tough love first thing in the morning.”

“Ah, gotcha…” Sarah nodded.

A long, practically palpable silence followed. Sarah had no idea what to say to this guy; conversing with an animate, talking set of scales was strange enough, but she honestly had no clue what he was going on about with the whole “judgement” thing…

“You have no idea what I’m going on about with the whole ‘judgement’ thing, do you?” Judgement Boy cocked one of his thick eyebrows.

Sarah spluttered. “How’d you-?”

“Good intuitions!” Judgement Boy blew his bangs out of his eyes and grinned at Sarah, displaying his absurdly sharp teeth. “I think it would be best if I demonstrated. Plus, it would get Gold off my back!” Judgement Boy motioned with his right hand. “Step back. This can get a little crazy.”

Sarah backed up, biting her lip. She had no idea what to expect, but… she couldn’t help wanting to humor this guy. It was hard not to have sympathy for someone with such a harsh mentor.

Judgement Boy’s face turned dead serious. “You’re trapped in this hotel with no knowledge of how you got here or the people within it. People may have secrets; they could be plotting behind your back! On top of that, you have no idea what is in store for you! So, what do you do?”

Sarah smirked, noticing he just echoed their current situation. Placing her chin on her finger, she contemplated what her next course of action should be.

“I’ll stop at nothing until I find out why I’m here,” Sarah stated determinedly. She put her head in her hand briefly. “And why I can’t remember much.”

Judgement Boy grinned. “Such bravery! But is that right? Let’s ask the Scales of Truth!” He rocked side to side, each time a cage came tauntingly close to the floor. “Which will it be, money or love? Only the Scales know for sure!”

Sarah assumed money and love were metaphors for the wrong and right choices to take and eagerly awaited the results.

“JUDGEMEEEEENNNNT!” Judgement Boy spun at a blinding speed on the spot that made Sarah’s eyes hurt and she had to look away. He stopped, facing her. A flap opened in the bottom of the cage containing the dollar sign and it smashed into shimmering pieces on the floor. The cage containing the heart sunk the floor as a result. “In the end, you stuck to the goals you set yourself and found out the answers you seek! You make your way to freedom with new allies, and live out a glorious life! And that’s the truth!”

“Wow… did you actually see the future just now?” Sarah asked, her hands folded under her chin and her eyes sparkling.

“…It’s more of a hypothetical situation. It means if you stick to your goals, you’re likely to make it in life!” Judgement Boy winked at Sarah, a grin spreading across his face.

“NEVER EXPLAIN YOUR JUDGEMENTS!” Gold’s booming voice came from behind a door.

“G-Gold? You’re here?” Judgement Boy’s face erupted into a blush. “You heard all that?”

“Oh, you bet!” One of the doors opened and Gold came gliding out, a smirk on his face. “But other than that, it wasn’t bad. I’m surprised you didn’t show off your talents more!”

“I-I totally can if you want me to!” Judgement Boy floated by Sarah, who ducked underneath him to prevent being smacked. Geez, he should really be more mindful of other people!

“Hmm, I think that’s an excellent idea!” Gold nodded, briefly tilting his body forward a bit. “You can’t get better if you don’t showcase your talent, Judgement Boy. This’ll give you a chance to spread your reputation amongst the guests too and it will be the perfect practice until we get out of here and back to… wherever we were.”

“Of course Gold!” Judgement Boy grinned enthusiastically. “When do you want me to do it? Now? I could go along to everyone’s rooms, I suppose…”

“No, wait until we are all together. You’ll leave an impression on all of them that way.” Gold decided. “I expect you to be perfect when that time comes! And sing on-key, this time!”

Judgement Boy sighed and looked down, upset his mentor still hadn’t forgotten. “Yes, Gold…”

“Hey, chin up,” Gold instructed, a fond light in his eyes. “If you work at it, you’ll be fine.” Gold turned to Sarah, which startled her and made her jump a little. “Do you have a good ear for pitch?” When Sarah nodded, Gold continued. “Good. If Judgement Boy ever needs to practice before testing himself on my finely tuned ears, he can come to you. Remember to practice, Judgement Boy! Now, I’ll be on my way.”

As Gold disappeared down the hallway, Judgement Boy let out a huge sigh of relief. “I thought he’d make me sing scales right here and now! I guess he’s just going easy on me today.” He grinned at Sarah.

Sarah was surprised Judgement Boy could be so energetic with Gold always critiquing his work and going so tough on him.

“Well, being here is a big shock for us all,” she reasoned. “He’s probably just going easy on you because of that.”

A silence followed. Sarah wasn’t particularly sure what to say. She decided to pluck a conversation starter out of thin air.

“Are there any other Judgement Boys or different colours or something?” Sarah asked.

Judgement Boy looked at her, amused and confused all at once. “What?”

“Well, if he’s Judgement Boy Gold, and you’re Judgement Boy, is there, I don’t know… A Judgement Boy Silver?”

Judgement Boy chuckled. “No, he’s Gold because he’s the best. And I’m not saying that because he’s my mentor. He really deserves the title because of his skill! The other Judgement Boys are all regular Judgement Boys like me. But they’re usually Gold’s entourage and aren’t properly trained by Gold like I am. They get occasional lessons but because I’m Gold’s real pupil, I get the majority of his time and I don’t get numbered.”

Judgement Boy puffed out his chest, looking extremely proud. Sarah frowned in confusion. “What do you mean, 'numbered’?”

“The other Judgement Boys are named 'Judgement Boy #1’ all the way up to four. But I’m the original so I don’t get a number,” Judgement Boy grinned.

“Well that’s not cruel at all,” Sarah commented sarcastically. “I’m sure they love being second to you.”

“I kind of feel sorry for them, yeah,” Judgement Boy grimaced. “Gold is bound to leave someone behind. There’s only one of him.” He screwed up his face in confusion. “I wonder where the other Judgement Boys are anyway? Why weren’t they brought here?” He locked eyes with Sarah and his face became bubbly again. “Anyway, I’d better practice. See you around, Sarah!”

Sarah bid him farewell and strolled aimlessly down the hallway. _That certainly was interesting. I definitely feel like I understand Judgement Boy better now._

Sarah passed by a room with Cactus Gunman’s portrait on the door and stopped, her brows arching. She wondered if he was in his room… he certainly seemed to be fond of her, maybe they could forge a friendship!

“Nothing ventured, nothing gained…” Sarah mumbled before raising her fist and delicately knocking on the door three times.

“EEP!” she heard Gunman squeak from the inside. She heard the clumping of his boots as he ran to the door and opened it a crack, one of his red eyes peering out. “Que?”

“Hey, Cactus Gunman!” Sarah smiled and gave him a little wave. “Wanted to come check on you.”

Cactus Gunman quickly shut the door, but not before Sarah noticed that his face erupted into a bright red blush. After a few moments, he opened the door completely, smoothing his poncho and clearing his throat.

“Good morning, senorita!” He leaned against his doorframe, a broad smile beneath his bushy mustache. “How are you feeling?”

“I should be asking _you_ that, mister,” Sarah folded her arms and stuck out a hip. “I heard you squeak when I knocked on the door.”

“…you heard that?” Cactus Gunman looped his pointer fingers around each other, his face turning a little red. “Sorry… I know it’s not very macho of me, but something about this place, well… it’s creepy!” Gunman was so ashamed of his admitted fear that he couldn’t make eye contact with Sarah.

“No shame in it!” Sarah looked around the hallway, just in time to see Steve walk out of his room, hugging himself. Catherine burst out of her own room and ran after him, enthusiastically taking his arm and walking him to the lobby. “The people here are a little…”

“A little what?” Gunman asked, touching a finger to his chin.

“Never mind…” Sarah backpedaled, holding up a hand. She figured badmouthing her new housemates wouldn’t be a good leg to start off on… besides, she barely knew this guy! He could go blabbing to everyone about what she said!

“Why do you think we’re here…?” Gunman was quick to change the topic, much to Sarah’s relief. “That little… thing…”

“Monoputa?”

Gunman covered his mouth to hold back laughter, but quickly regained his composure. “Yes… Mono…puta. He said that we had a reason for being here, no? I was up late… my brain was going wild with possible reasons…”

“Any you care to share?” Sarah asked, raising a curious brow.

“Oh, I just can’t say no to a girl as cute as you!” Cactus Gunman professed. “I had the idea that maybe the outside world was destroyed, and we are the last survivors! We were placed here to live in safety, to live out our lives, and repopulate… oh, such a shame we have so few ladies! I wonder if they’d let me have first pick…” Gunman tried to give Sarah an inconspicuous, barely-there smirk, but it was about as subtle as Gregory bursting into the room with his pants off, screaming about kids these days.

Sarah reflexively slapped Gunman across the face, getting a hand full of needles. “OW!” she exclaimed, shaking out her hand.

“AH! I’m so sorry I offended you, senorita! I cannot help myself… I lose all sense around beautiful women!” Cactus Gunman dithered, holding out a hand to Sarah. “Let me see your injury…”

Sarah sniffed and caved, holding out her pricked hand. Gunman had barely flinched from her slap… he must have gotten a lot of those over the years.

“Ahh… you’re bleeding…” Gunman made sure to handle Sarah’s hand as gently as possible as he examined it. “Wait one moment!” Gunman disappeared into his room, shutting the door behind him. Sarah frowned a bit. Why didn’t he just invite her inside…? Was he hiding something?

Cactus Gunman returned a few moments later with a handkerchief and a smile. “Just clean the wounds with this. I’m sorry I can’t offer anything else…”

“This’ll work, hopefully… it just stings…” Sarah looked down at her bloodied hand as she ran the handkerchief over it. “I’m _really_ regretting slapping you.”

“It stung me as much as it stung you…” Cactus Gunman rested a hand on his cheek.

She continued running the handkerchief over her wounds and muttered “I may have to see nurse Catherine if this gets worse. Once she’s done with Steve…”

Once she was done, she looked up at Cactus Gunman’s face to see his mind had wandered whilst staring at her, leaving a dreamy smile on his face. Sarah shifted uncomfortably. _What are you supposed to do in a situation like this?_

The silence was broken by a loud noise coming from the lobby.

“JUUUUUUUUUDGE-MENT!”

“What’s going on in there?” Gunman snapped out of his fog, shaking his head around and doing his best to come back to Earth.

“Oh, Judgement Boy must be doing some of his special judgements!” Sarah’s eyes sparkled a bit and she tugged on Gunman’s arm. “Let’s go see!”

Grateful to have an excuse to leave the awkwardness of their encounter behind, Sarah ran down the hall, her ponytail bouncing in her stride.

“Judgement Boy, huh…?” Cactus Gunman reflexively stroked his gun, his eyes narrowing into an angry glare. “This lovely senorita is sweet on _him?_ What does he have that I don’t?” he mumbled to himself, jealousy constricting around his heart like thorny vines.

“I might as well gauge the competition, I suppose,” Gunman shrugged as he followed after Sarah, biting his lip.

 

_GHS_

 

“Despite your hard work and perseverance, you are never able to figure out where exactly that headache of yours is coming from. You doom yourself to a life of pain because you focus on all other maladies except for the correct one. And that’s the truth!” Judgement Boy waved around his empty cage that previously housed a heart.

“Oh, that’s… really depressing…” Mummy Papa looked at his feet and let out a sigh.

“It’s hypothetical-” Judgement Boy began before Gold interrupted him.

“He doesn’t explain his judgements. You made your choice, and now you have to live with it!” Gold nodded sagely and Mummy Papa sulked off to a corner.

“Monoputa, I need another heart!” Judgement Boy barked, waving his cage at the black and white Prompter.

Nearly everyone, barring Hell’s Chef for whatever reason, had gathered in the lobby to pass the time until Monoputa’s big news. At Gold’s suggestion, Judgement Boy decided to entertain the crowd with some personalized judgements. Monoputa had proved to be a big help in that department; he had a chest full of hearts and dollar signs tucked away in a broom closet.

When Judgement Boy questioned where he got them, Monoputa had replied: “Uh, I’m a Prompter, I made them myself!”

When Judgement Boy asked Monoputa where the numbered Judgement Boys were, however, Monoputa just looked to the ground with a smirk and said nothing. Monoputa really rubbed Judgement Boy the wrong way…

“You’re doing well so far!” Judgement Boy Gold snapped Judgement Boy out of his fog with a gleaming grin. “See? A little practice never hurts!”

“I’m getting really dizzy…” Judgement Boy admitted, wiping his forehead with one of his round hands.

“Fight through it!” Judgement Boy Gold smacked Judgement Boy on the back. “Okay, who’s next?” He looked at the crowd expectantly.

“Ooh! Ooh! Me! Me!” James hopped up and down like a crazy jack-in-the-box.

“James, are you _sure_ about that?” Gregory warned his grandson. “You might not like what you hear…”

“Nooo, come on, I wanna get a judgement! They’re so cool!” James looked at Judgement Boy with his eyes glimmering.

“I can’t say no to that,” Judgement Boy shrugged at Gregory and Gregory let out a sigh.

“Okay, James, your funeral,” Gregory chuckled darkly and gently pushed James forward. James grinned over his shoulder at him before running up to Judgement Boy.

“Heh heh heh… now _this_ is gonna be good…” Monoputa hopped up onto the ragged couch next to Cactus Girl, winking at her. “How _you_ doin’?”

“Don’t make me kick you into the wall,” Cactus Girl glared at him, her hands clenched into fists.

James looked up expectantly at Judgement Boy. “Hey, what’re you waiting for? Do it.”

Judgement Boy’s face turned serious and he began. “Your whole family and everyone you know are attending the opening day at a museum, filled with great treasures and things never seen by the public eye before. You know that going there would be interesting and filled with excitement! But you also know that where there is a large group of people, there is an opportunity for a prank. So, what do you do?”

James grinned mischievously. He didn’t even have to say a word.

“So you say you’ll do the prank, but are you sure? Let’s ask the Scales of Truth!” Judgement Boy rocked side to side again. “Which will it be? Money or love? Only the Scales know for sure!”

James frowned. “But my question didn’t even have anything to do with that!” He spun around. “Grandpa, grandpa! They’re doing it wrong!”

“Judgement Boy’s doing it fine, James,” Gold stated harshly as he moved forward. “They’re metaphors, now let him finish.”

James scowled and folded his arms. His eyes latched onto the dollar sign. “Grandpa! I want that one! Can I have it?” He began to jump up and down with glee.

“Be quiet, James!” Gregory scolded. “You’ll have to wait and see!”

Gold leaned over and whispered in close to Judgement Boy’s face. “Quickly, do it now, before this kid gets sidetracked again. That’s the thing with judgements. Make sure they’re quick or kids like him will get upset.”

“JUDGEMEEEEENNNT!” Judgement Boy quickly spun on the spot, causing Sarah’s eyes to hurt. She looked away, but not before she caught a glimpse of Judgement Boy smacking into Gold. Gold was _not_ going to forget that anytime soon. Sarah looked back when Judgement Boy stopped spinning and dropped the heart sign onto the floor. As it shattered into little pieces, he cast a nervous glance over at a displeased Gold. “In the end, you chose to prank everyone. Unfortunately, no one passed the spot where you set up your prank. _They_ all saw the treasures while _you_ sat in the corner glumly. It was your choice, and now you have to live with it. And that’s the truth.”

James glared and pouted at Judgement Boy. “That’s not fair! Grandpa, he gave me a bad judgement!” He put his head in his hands and heaved fake sobs.

“I’m sorry, it’s hard to control him when he gets like this.” Gregory chuckled darkly. “I’m _sure_ he’ll vent his frustrations somehow. Now come along James, let someone else have a turn.”

Gregory led the sobbing rat away. James gave a quick glance over his shoulder at Judgement Boy which housed a wicked smile. Judgement Boy just looked dumbstruck. He’d never had someone react like that before.

“Judgement Boy.” Gold’s voice was stern and he was looking directly at the side of Judgement Boy’s head. Judgement Boy was too afraid to look at his mentor. “Judgement Boy, your performance was horrid. Slightly off-key, slow and, most importantly, you _hit_ me! You must never, _ever_ hit anyone when swinging those cages! You definitely have a wide space for improvement!”

Judgement Boy took in every word, knowing he hadn’t been his best as well as his mentor. “Yes Gold…”

“C'mon, Judgement Boy, make it up to me by proving yourself with someone else,” Gold encouraged.

Judgement Boy sighed, still crestfallen. Sarah felt devastated not to see his face bubbly and happy. It wasn’t the Judgement Boy she knew… but he had a lot of pressure on him now and, after a performance like that, she couldn’t blame him for his state. Cactus Gunman, seeing Sarah’s face, immediately stepped forward.

“Don’t fret, senorita,” he cooed. “I will help out this poor man.”

Even if he was jealous of Judgement Boy for all the attention he seemed to get from Sarah, maybe being kind to him would earn him extra points with her… after all, it seemed like Judgement Boy and Sarah were merely friends. Or so Gunman hoped…

Monoputa chuckled from over at the couch. “Oh, I don’t think so! I want to keep that performance fresh in everyone’s minds! After all, such an embarrassing moment is related to what I’m going to tell you~” Monoputa hopped to his feet and grinned at everyone. “I think it’s high time I reveal my special little surprise!”

“It’s time for the surprise?!” James came up from his fake sobs, a huge smile adorning his face as he hopped up and down. “What is it? What is it?”

Gregory sighed in relief. Finally, James stopped with his fake tears!

“This better be good,” Gregory Mama flipped some of her dry hair. “I’m already sick of this place. I could stand for it to become more interesting.”

“Wait…” Catherine stood on her toes, looking around the room. “We’re short one chef.”

“Oh, god damn it!” Monoputa leapt in the air, cupped his hands around his mouth, and shouted extremely loudly. _“HELL’S CHEF! GET YOUR WAXY ASS IN HERE!”_

“Ayiyi!” Cactus Girl covered her ears, tears pricking the corners of her eyes. How could _anyone_ be that loud?!

A few moments later, Hell’s Chef burst into the room, fuming. “I was preparing breakfast. If this isn’t important, I’m going to-”

“Yeah, yeah, you’re scary, we get it,” Monoputa rolled his eyes mockingly. “Take a seat and listen to me! This is _super_ important!”

Hell’s Chef elected to stand, leaning against the wall and folding his thick arms.

“What I’m about to tell you is something you’ve been wanting to know…” Monoputa folded his hands, tilting his head as far as it would go. “The reason all of you are here.”

“About time you gave us some answers!” Angel Dog frowned at Monoputa. “I couldn’t sleep a _wink_ last night!”

“Me either!” Poor Conductor wiped at his sagging, tired eyes.

“This might come as a shock to all of you, but you’re trapped here. Stuck between life and death. This isn’t your reality. Your reality is… out there,” Monoputa pointed to the large, locked doors.

Everyone gasped and began to nervously chatter amongst themselves, apart from Roulette Boy, who was snickering, and James, who seemed to think this was the coolest thing ever.

“No way! You’re lying!” Cactus Girl edged away from Monoputa, her eyes bulging.

“I’m telling the whole truth! Don’t worry; there’s a way you can get out!” Monoputa nodded sagely. “I wouldn’t trap you here without any hope at all!”

“What is it?!” Steve tore at his hair, his skin as white as paper. “Tell us!”

“Oh, it’s fairly simple…” Monoputa moved his veil upwards so he could look directly at everyone.

“If you want to get out, you need to commit a murder without getting caught!”

“M-murder?!” Steve’s eyes rolled back and he almost fell over. Catherine practically flew over to him and caught him, fanning his face and mumbling soothing words.

Poor Conductor let out an alarmed scream and ran for the front doors, pulling at them with all his might. When they didn’t budge, he let out a dramatic, defeated cry and slid to the floor, burying his face in his hands.

“For goodness sake, get a hold of yourself!” Cactus Girl scolded the defeated conductor. “He has to be joking!”

Monoputa grinned slyly. “I can assure you I’m not. What I say is the truth, and it’s only a matter of time until you believe it.”

“Neat!” James exclaimed, his eyes glimmering. Gregory gasped and covered James’ mouth.

“Don’t say things like that!” he scolded, earning himself a muffled sigh from his grandson.

“This is insane! _You’re_ insane!” Sarah pointed an accusing finger at Monoputa. “None of us are going to kill _anyone!”_

“Ahh, I thought you all would react this way,” Monoputa huffed. “Well, you guys _could_ stay here forever, living happily and peacefully… which I’m sure you would do if I didn’t prepare a motive for the murders!”

“What do you mean, a _motive?”_ Mummy Papa managed to squeak out. His head was pounding awfully hard; he could barely speak, let alone think.

“Tah-daaaaaaaah!” Monoputa reached behind him and pulled out sixteen envelopes, waving them in the air.

“I’ve got your embarrassing seeeecrets right here! And if there isn’t a death within two days, I’m going to reveal all of these secrets to _everyone_ over the intercom!”

He ran around the room, handing everyone envelopes with their names on them. “One for you, one for you, one for you, one for you…”

Sarah opened up her envelope and blushed when she saw:

_Sarah stalked a boy she liked for three months when she was thirteen!_

Judgement Boy tore into his envelope with his teeth and peeked at the contents, turning even redder than usual. “How… how did you find _this_ out?!” He glared at Monoputa, who, along with James, burst into a giggling fit.

“Serves you right, ya butt!” James pulled down the skin under his eye, sticking out his tongue at Judgement Boy. Judgement Boy ignored James. He knew better than to indulge an insult from a child.

“James, you shouldn’t tease others so readily…” Gregory sighed. “After all, your secret is going to be revealed too!”

“Pfft, come on, Grandpa, it’s not a big deal!” James tore into his envelope and his jaw dropped when he saw his secret. “N-no way! No one can know this! No one!” James’ eyes filled up with tears and he looked at his grandpa pleadingly. “Grandpa, can you go kill someone for me?”

“James, _no!”_ Gregory glared at his grandson.

“You’re thinking of killing _me,_ aren’t you, Gregory?” Gregory Mama suddenly appeared behind her son, a sadistic smirk on her face. “I’d kill you three times over before you could lay a greasy little finger on me!”

“N-no, Mama, not in a million years!” Gregory shook his head rapidly.

“These are so… petty…” Neko Zombie made a face at his secret and squinted at Monoputa. “Do you really think we’re going to kill over secrets as silly as these? I don’t care if this gets out.”

“Me either!” Clock Master nodded sagely. “Neko Zombie’s right. No one is going to kill anyone over something so foolish.”

“That’s what you _say…”_ Monoputa snickered, nodding at Judgement Boy Gold. “But look at _this_ one’s face! That’s the face of a man who’d be _ruined_ if his secret got out!”

Sarah couldn’t help sneaking a peek. Judgement Boy Gold had gone pale beneath his luster, and his hands were shaking, threatening to drop the secret to the ground for all to see.

“Aww, Boss… it can’t be as bad as you think!” Judgement Boy sidled up to Gold, who shrieked and used his teeth to tear his secret to shreds.

“Don’t get too happy with thaaaaat~” Monoputa shook his hips, a smug expression on his face. “I have looooots of copies! No matter how many of those you tear up, there will be a million more to replace it! It’s gonna get read no matter what!”

“Too much! Too much is happening at once!” Judgement Boy Gold finally found his voice, which was hoarse and squeaky, a harsh contrast to his usual deep baritone. “Murder… secrets… being trapped… I need to lie down.”

Without even saying goodbye, Gold made a beeline for his room.

“Gold!” Judgement Boy held out a hand after his boss, but realized comforting him would be futile.

“Oooh, Grandpa, I’d watch out for that one,” James snickered. “He’s _clearly_ gone nuts! He’ll probably go for you, because you’re so old and weak!”

“I am _not_ weak, James!” Gregory scolded, puffing out his chest. “I’m quite spry for my age, thank you! And someone in Judgement Boy Gold’s mental condition wouldn’t _kill,_ he’ll probably be up all night crying like a baby.” Gregory chuckled, shaking his head.

“Such a shame,” Gregory Mama sighed. “I would have _loved_ to have you out of my hair…”

Gregory elected to ignore his mother’s comment. One could never know if she was joking or not…

“If we have to live here forever, so be it!” Angel Dog nodded sagely. “We all seem like we get along well. I’m sure we can find ways to pass the time! If anyone kills anyone else, I’ll…” Angel Dog’s voice dropped a bit low, but she coughed and shook her head around before she finished her sentence. “Well, I won’t be very happy at all!”

“I’m going to finish cooking breakfast,” Hell’s Chef announced, pocketing his secret and lumbering to the kitchen like nothing had even happened.

“Oh, I bet he’s going to crack first…” Poor Conductor grumbled to whoever would listen once Hell’s Chef was out of earshot. “Something about that man just rubs me the wrong way…”

“How dare you say that!” Catherine jammed a pointy nail into Poor Conductor’s chest. “He’s perfectly sane! Just because he looks scary doesn’t mean we’re going to wake up tomorrow and find that he killed all of us!”

“Oh, he can’t do that,” Monoputa hopped onto Poor Conductor’s shoulders and leaned against his head. Poor Conductor visibly bristled, staying completely still. “If you kill more than one person, you _instantly_ get the axe! Someone tell Hell’s Chef later that-”

“I volunteer!” Catherine raised a hand like a first grader who just _had_ to tell the teacher the answer.

“Atta girl,” Monoputa nodded approvingly at her. “Anyway, like I was saying, after a murder occurs, it’s up to all of _you_ to figure out who the perp is! Ooh, I always wanted to say perp…”

“H-how will we figure it out?” Steve finally spoke up, doing his best to keep from shaking. In a situation like _this,_ he couldn’t afford to be his usual flighty self.

“I don’t know if you noticed, but we’re not detectives,” Cactus Girl cut in, her hands on her hips.

“Fifteen heads are better than one!” Monoputa grinned at her. “I’m going to give you a limitless investigation, and once I think you’ve got plenty of clues, we’re going to have a trial!” Monoputa pumped a fist into the air. “If you guys figure out who did it, hooray! The murderer gets executed and you can all go on with your lives!”

“And what if we don’t find the killer?” Catherine asked, tilting her head slightly in thought.

“Yeah, what happens then?” Judgement Boy squinted at Monoputa, who covered his mouth and giggled.

“What if we pick the wrong person?” Steve inquired, rocking back and forth nervously. “I’d hate it if someone got executed for a crime they didn’t commit!”

Roulette Boy giggled, despite the seriousness of the conversation. “Imagine living your life knowing you sentenced an innocent person to death, Steve! All that shame pinned on you.” He let out a loud, genuine laugh. “I’d want to see your face!”

Steve’s hands latched onto either side of his head, the intensity of his fear growing by the second. “Ooh, don’t say that does happen!”

“Oh, don’t worry, it doesn’t. But… everyone _except_ the murderer gets executed and the murderer gets to go back to reality, happy as can be!” Monoputa said as if it was the simplest thing in the world.

That statement made the room fall into a thick, palpable silence. Monoputa could practically sense the distrust and smirked to himself, scanning everyone’s expressions.

The silence was broken by Hell’s Chef calling everyone to eat breakfast.

Sarah, nauseated by the news, didn’t feel much like eating, but she trudged into the kitchen along with everyone anyway.

“Remember~!” Monoputa sang as everyone walked away. “I better smell blood within 48 hours or all of your dirty little secrets will be revealed~!”

Sarah clenched her fists and glared over her shoulder at Monoputa, ready to storm over and kick him into next week.

“Senorita, you shouldn’t fight this battle!” Cactus Gunman grabbed onto her arm before she could act on her impulse. “That… _thing_ isn’t normal. I would hate for you to get hurt.”

Sarah sighed and nodded at Cactus Gunman. “You’re right… if only it was _his_ blood we could spill…”

“I wouldn’t say that so loud…” Gunman filed Sarah into the kitchen, hoping that Monoputa didn’t hear her little comment.

Gunman’s hopes were in vain, though, Monoputa heard every word Sarah said.

“She’s a feisty one…” Monoputa lounged on the couch, smirking as Sarah disappeared into the kitchen. “I’ll have to keep an eye on her.”


	3. The First Murder

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Here it is! With illustrations by the lovely shortlifelongart~_   
>  _No free time vote this time because, well…you’ll see. Also, this is a LONG one, sorry!_   
>  _Enjoy, and please tell me what you think of it! <3_

Everyone had barely poked at their breakfasts, apart from Neko Zombie, who ate everything gratefully. He was licking his paw and washing the syrup from his face, purring all the while. No one else seemed that satisfied; they were utterly silent, casting nervous glances at each other and poking at their food, but never putting any in their mouths.

The fact that almost no one ate really seemed to irk Hell’s Chef. He kept his mouth shut about it, though. Sarah wondered if, despite his fearless attitude and intimidating stature, he was just as scared as everyone else was. By the end of breakfast, she noticed that Hell’s Chef didn’t even take a single bite of what he made.

_Oh, yeah…_ Sarah almost chuckled at the absurdity of the situation. _He’s horrified._

Sarah could see Hell’s Chef shaking when people disposed of their uneaten food, but she had a feeling it wasn’t from fear…

_Will_ _ **he**_ _commit the first murder?_ Sarah thought, biting her lip as she walked past his chair on her way out of the dining room. _Wait… thinking this way is exactly what Monoputa wants! There won’t be any murders! We’re all gonna be fine. We’re all gonna find a way out of here together!_

“What are you grinning about?” a high pitched voice asked.

Sarah stopped dead in her tracks and turned to see Neko Zombie, his paws in his pockets and a snarl on his stitched up face.

“Oh, I was just trying to cheer myself up…” Sarah couldn’t make eye contact with his face so accusing… he might just be a big kitty, but those eyes of his were scary!

“Heh,” Neko Zombie shook his head, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “I’m kind of jealous… I know I’m completely falling for Monoputa’s tricks.”

“What do you mean by that?” Sarah asked, finally making eye contact with Neko Zombie.

“I… I think I’ve said too much. I don’t want to ruin your blind optimism.” Before Sarah could stop him, Neko Zombie left the dining room.

Shrugging, Sarah decided to look around and see how everyone was dealing with the enormous bomb Monoputa had dropped on them.

Upon exiting the dining room, Sarah found Gregory, Roulette Boy, and James in the lounge. The former was reading a book and the latter two were running around like the children they were.

_How can they be so carefree?_ Sarah bit her lip, but she figured it couldn’t hurt to ask.

“Hey, kids!” Sarah greeted James and Roulette Boy, bending a bit so she could make better eye contact with them. “How are you feeling? I know what’s going on is a lot to take in…”

Roulette Boy stopped his running and James nearly crashed into him.

“Oh, it’s AWESOME!” James giggled. “We’re actually really excited about this!”

“What,” Sarah said flatly, straightening up.

“Yeah, we’re kids!” Roulette Boy grinned up at Sarah, putting his arms behind his back and bobbling around. “Who in their right mind would hurt _kids?_ We’re just gonna watch and see what happens!”

Sarah looked at Gregory in disbelief. “Are you hearing this?”

Chuckling, Gregory lowered his book and Sarah noticed he was wearing tiny spectacles. “Sarah, they’re young. Don’t burst their bubble. I never would have taken you for someone who would enjoy striking fear into the hearts of children…”

“Yeah, lady!” James tugged on Sarah’s denim skirt so hard he would have dropped it down if Sarah didn’t grab onto it in time. “You’re scaring us!”

“How _dare_ you!” Roulette Boy tittered, his expression downright sinister. Sarah couldn’t believe what she was hearing… how could _kids_ be so malicious?

“Forget her, Roulette Boy, let’s go play somewhere else,” James held his nose. “This room smells like old man and gross girl anyway.”

“Eeee, yay!” Roulette Boy squealed, bouncing joyfully. “I know a reallllly fun game! Don’t worry, it won’t kill you or nothin’!”

Sarah shook her head in disbelief as the boys fled excitedly out of the room. Even though they were kids, it was hard to understand how they could take such a situation so lightly. At the sound of a deep sigh, Sarah turned to see Mummy Papa standing a little way off in the distance and holding his head in one hand. His eyes were drooping and tired and his face was blank.

“Mummy Papa? Are you holding up okay?” Sarah edged a little closer and tilted her head.

“Hmm? Oh yes. I’m fine,” he assured Sarah. Then he slid his hand across a little so it was lying flat across his forehead. “I just have a headache still. I think it might be a side effect of a temperature…”

“Shouldn’t you see Catherine?” Sarah prompted.

“Oh. Yeah,” Mummy Papa commented slowly. “That might be good.”

“Don’t worry, I heard every _word!”_ Catherine exclaimed happily as she approached. “And should be able to fix up something for you in no time.” A distant look crept into her eyes and she lowered her voice. “If only I could do a blood test. I _need_ some needles!” She caught Sarah’s eye and smiled sweetly. “He’ll be fine. Just leave him in my capable hands.”

“That’s very kind of you, nurse Catherine,” Mummy Papa smiled lethargically as he was led away. “I hope you can fix my headache. I’ve tried everything!”

“Oh, I’d try _anything_ to help _you,”_ Catherine purred as she wrapped her arm around his waist.

Sarah watched them leave and couldn’t help dwelling on the thought of her need for needles.

_I’m glad there aren’t any around…_ Sarah shuddered. _I bet someone could use them to inject something nasty into someone else…_

Ugh, bad thoughts again. Sarah wished they would go away. Maybe if she distracted herself…

Out of the corner of her eye, Sarah noticed someone with their forehead against the wall, quietly weeping.

_Oh God, what’s his name again?_ Sarah bit her lip as she tentatively approached him. She figured it couldn’t hurt to ask.

“Hey, uhm, what was your name again?” At the sound of Sarah’s voice, the figure turned around around slowly, tears still spilling from his eyes.

“P-Poor Conductor,” he sobbed. He straightened up a little. “I apologize for my behavior… The situation is getting to me a little. Although I’m sure it affects you more.”

“I am a little afraid, but I won’t let that stop me. We can’t let Monoputa control us like a puppet master,” Sarah nodded determinedly. “Just be strong and we can all pull through without a single death.”

Poor Conductor blinked and smiled a little. “Words so inspiring… I feel…” The room dimmed and a bright spotlight shone its beam of light over him. “I feel the need for a song!”

“Oh please,” Gregory Mama snorted as she strolled by. “No one would listen to your screeching if it were the last shred of culture in existence.”

The spotlight went off and the room went back to its original brightness. Poor Conductor seemed devastated at the lost opportunity to perform and gasped dramatically, a hand on his chest.

“How _dare_ you! I expected someone of your sophistication to know what beauty my music truly is! It is uncomparable to any modern work.”

Sarah was instantly confused. _I think he was trying to compliment himself but it just made his work sound old and painful. Those clothes certainly seem to tell that story._

Gregory Mama was absolutely fuming. “I know exactly what beauty is, you ridiculous fop! Me!” She swung around unexpectedly. “Right, Gregory?!”

Gregory, who was still reading his book, shrieked and threw it into the air. “Y-yes, Mama! Of course, Mama! You truly are beautiful!”

Gregory Mama’s frown deepened. “You’re just saying that, aren’t you?! I should have raised you better! Lying to your mother!”

“No Mama! I swear I wasn’t! _Please,_ please Mama!” Gregory moved further and further back into the couch, his hands outstretched defensively as she neared him, raising her staff.

Gregory looked absolutely petrified and Sarah had a feeling that he had every reason to be. _I think someone like her would have no qualms with murdering someone… And with a motive like the one Monoputa gave us… I wouldn’t be surprised if she played into his hands!_ Despite the fearful situation, Poor Conductor sniggered.

“You…” Gregory Mama spun to face Poor Conductor who instantly yelped. “You think my insolent son lying to me is _funny?”_

She changed course and instantly started thwacking him repeatedly over the head with her staff. Sarah decided the best course of action was to walk away before Gregory Mama decided she needed a beating too. _Poor Conductor should have known better than to laugh like that around her. Even I knew that, and I just met her!_ Sarah tsk-tsk’d to herself as she walked away from the pathetic Poor Conductor. In a house full of weirdos, he was definitely among the strangest.

Sarah walked down the hallway with everyone’s rooms and found Steve and Cactus Girl chatting.

“No, I think he’s trying to trick all of us…” Steve said gently. “He’s trying to make us all go crazy so someone will actually kill someone else. My secret wasn’t a big deal, though, and I’m sure yours wasn’t either…”

Cactus Girl suddenly turned bright red and turned her attention to one of her braids, squeezing it between two fingers. “W-well, it was _really_ humiliating… but I wouldn’t _kill_ over it! It’s my brother I’m worried about. He’s holed up in his room and won’t even open the door for _me!”_

“Oh, God…” Steve covered his mouth. Sarah could see sweat beading on his forehead. _Charming._ “D-do you think he’ll-?!”

“Not on my watch,” Cactus Girl smirked at Steve. Cactus Girl whipped towards Sarah, her green braids swirling with the motion. “You! Go talk some sense into my big brother!”

“Me? Why me?” Sarah touched a hand to her chest.

Sighing, Cactus Girl folded her arms. “He’s _much_ more likely to listen to a lovely senorita than his own little seester. Punch him in the face if you have to. Just _please_ make sure he’s back to his old self?”

Cactus Girl was trying to look miffed, but her eyes were pleading. Sarah felt something tug on her heart; she could tell that Cactus Girl really cared about her older brother.

“Okay, I will,” Sarah nodded, a smile spreading across her face.

“Great!” Cactus Girl smiled back. “Now go kick his ass into next week!” She pounded her fist into an open palm.

_God, she’s so cute…_ Sarah felt her cheeks burn as she headed towards Gunman’s room. _You’d need to have a heart of stone to say no to someone like her…_

She reached Gunman’s room and knocked on his door firmly.

“Seester, leave me!” Sarah heard Gunman’s voice shout from inside. “I already told you, I’m fine! No need to pester me!”

“It’s not your sister,” Sarah answered.

“Ah, mi flor?!” Gunman squeaked as he ran over to the door. He opened it up and beamed at Sarah. “What brings you here?”

“What’s this about your floor?” Sarah tilted her head at Gunman and nearly gave him a heart attack.

“Oh, it’s not important.” Gunman stepped into the hallway and closed his door behind him. “What brings you here?”

“Checking up on you again,” Sarah tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear. When Gunman grinned at her, she shook her head rapidly. “Don’t get the wrong idea, buddy, your sister sent me.”

Gunman hunched over in disappointment. “Ah… should have known. Cactus Girl is very dear to me, but she always was quite nosy. I just don’t want her to know that her big brother is scared!” Cactus Gunman averted his gaze from Sarah. He couldn’t believe he just admitted his fear…

“You have a gun, Cactus Gunman,” Sarah glanced at his holster. “No one’s going to go after you.”

“B-but what if someone does?” Cactus Gunman sounded genuinely distressed. “I’d have to defend myself… and then the other person would die! I’m not a murderer, but… the secrets… they’re more than enough to make people kill! Mine is just _horrible!”_

“Really?” Sarah took a step back, eyeing Gunman’s gun warily. “You aren’t going to-”

“Not for anything in the world!” Gunman shook his head rapidly, gripping onto the brim of his sombrero. “But I don’t want anyone to die…maybe it won’t be _so_ bad to have my secret revealed…” Gunman folded his arms over his poncho and tried to put on a brave face. Sarah thought he just looked like he was going to sneeze.

“Mine’s not so bad…” Sarah admitted. “Just that I stalked a boy when I was thirteen.”

“Oh, really? You revealed it to me?” Gunman’s eyes gleamed. “That’s so flattering of you, senorita! Look at that face of yours… you’re not even blushing! You’re so brave!”

Cactus Gunman’s barrage of compliments actually _did_ make Sarah blush, which made Gunman do a little mental dance of victory.

“Neko Zombie was right when he said these were petty…but after seeing how people like Gold reacted to them, I think some are worse than others…” Sarah nervously chewed on a thumbnail for a few seconds before a glint came into her eyes. “Hey, Gunman…” She leaned forward with a smile that contained a hint of mischievous curiosity. “Since I told you _my_ secret, you should totally tell me yours. Fair trade.”

All the color drained from Gunman’s face and he turned a gross greenish-white.

“Is it that bad?” Sarah straightened up, furrowing her brow with concern.

“I’m sorry, senorita, but I cannot reveal it no matter what!” Cactus Gunman shook his head rapidly. “I… I have to go!”

With that, Cactus Gunman disappeared back into his bedroom, quick as a flash of lightning.

_What could it be?!_ Sarah mentally kicked herself for being so nosy, but to elicit such a strong reaction from him… it _must_ be something interesting!

_No use dwelling on it, Sarah…_ she told herself as she walked in the other direction through the hallway. _Maybe I should go check on Judgement Boy… is he in his room?_

Sarah rounded the corner to approach Judgement Boy’s room. However, he was in the hallway, standing outside his neighbour’s door which was slightly ajar. As Sarah got closer, she realised the door belonged to Gold.

“G-Gold? You want to talk about it?” Judgement Boy called out, his face so close to the gap in the door he was nearly pressing his face on it. “You’ve been in there for a while now. It feels weird not practicing for this long. Are you sure you’re okay?”

All Judgement Boy got in response was _“LEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAVE!”_

“He’s still in there?” Sarah asked Judgement Boy. When he turned to face her, deep concern was written all over his face.

“Yeah. It’s not like him to neglect training me so much. Or to get all mopey like this.” Judgement Boy frowned. “Something must be seriously wrong. Was his secret so bad?”

“I guess so. He must have done something terrible…” Sarah’s face lit up as an idea came to her. “Hey, I bet if you practice your scales, when Gold comes out, he’ll be over the moon on how good you are! He did say to practice on me.”

Judgement Boy’s face returned to its usual happy expression. “Sarah, you’re a genius!” Judgement Boy twisted his head and called out to his mentor. “Just you wait, Gold. You’ll be extra-proud of me when you come out!” He hopped a little on the spot in excitement and grinned the biggest grin Sarah had ever seen at her. _Is he overcompensating because Gold is so down?_ “I want to make my voice a surprise, so let’s go to my room!”

Judgement Boy zoomed over to his door and swung it open. He held it out for Sarah so she could go in first.

“Thanks, but won’t Gold hear us practicing?” She asked as she strode inside.

Judgement Boy shook his head as he entered after her and shut the door. “Monoputa went to an extra effort to soundproof my room and Gold’s room. We can practice without disturbing the neighbors! He said so himself before I started my judgements yesterday.” He narrowed his eyes, trying to remember. “I don’t think you were there for that…” His face perked up as quickly as it had fallen. “At least you know now!”

Sarah felt a flicker of sympathy for him. It seemed he was now doing his best not to recollect his thoughts about what else happened during and after his judgements.

Judgement Boy cleared his throat. “I hope you have as good an ear for pitch as Gold hopes!”

And then, he began to sing. Gold must have been extra motivation for him, or maybe Sarah was just biased, but the singing was definitely Judgement Boy’s best. The sounds rolled off his tongue flawlessly and smoothly like honey. Sarah wished she had some way to record this.

Sarah gave her opinion on each set of scales after they were finished. As they were nearing the end, Judgement Boy’s voice began to lose some of its strength. Sarah, who had been closing her eyes when listening to the delightful melody, snapped them open and studied Judgement Boy’s face. It was nowhere near as cheerful as it had been when she last looked and she reached out and grabbed his arm. At her touch, Judgement Boy stopped singing.

“Judgement Boy, what’s wrong?” Sarah locked eyes with him. “Is something upsetting you?”

Judgement Boy sighed and turned away, nearly clocking Sarah with his arm. “It’s just everything that happened is getting to me… When I sing, it let’s me slow down and think; but that’s the problem. With Gold like this and being trapped here… I don’t know if he’ll snap or not! I know he’s strong, but with such a shove from Monoputa, can he take it? And what about me? Will I ever see my brothers again? I know I hogged Gold’s attention a lot, and I feel terrible knowing that I might never get to say I’m sorry. And with people like the ones we have here…” Judgement Boy looked at Sarah with tear filled eyes that made her heart shatter. “Someone’s going to die! I _know_ it! I don’t know how I’ll be able to cope if it’s Gold…”

Tears were starting to come to Sarah’s own eyes. She couldn’t believe that Monoputa’s actions had reduced the once cheerful and enthusiastic Judgement Boy to this state. Sarah knew she’d never give Monoputa the satisfaction of witnessing her kill someone, but after witnessing Gregory Mama and Poor Conductor in the lounge, she couldn’t exactly vouch for the others.

Sarah opened her arms. “Do you want a hug?”

Judgement Boy’s lower lip quivered and he rushed into her open arms, picking Sarah up off the ground. In their embrace, Sarah felt herself being slightly crushed by Judgement Boy’s ferocity. _Man, this poor guy is really strong for a singer._ Judgement Boy shook a little and Sarah knew he was sobbing into her shoulder.

“It’s okay, Judgement Boy. Everything’s going to be fine,” Sarah soothed. “The best thing you can do is be there for Gold so he _doesn’t_ snap. We’ll just have to have faith that no one else tries anything. You have to be brave at times like this. And maybe if no one kills each other, Monoputa will get bored and let us go. Then you’ll get to say you’re sorry. Until then, we have to try and keep the peace between everyone, starting with Gold.”

Judgement Boy lifted his head. Thick tear tracks stretched down his distraught face. “Y-you really that could happen? That we can leave?”

Sarah nodded determinedly, though she really had no idea. She hoped with all her heart that it was true for it was something for Judgement Boy to put hope in, and Sarah couldn’t bear the thought of seeing him upset day in and day out. “We can do this, Judgement Boy. We can survive.”

“You’re right…” Judgement Boy said bewilderedly as he straightened up, the light returning to his eyes. “We _can_ do this! And I’m going to start right now by helping Gold and showing him my scales!” Judgement Boy went over to the door and rested a hand on it. “Hey, you can help out someone who is down too! I know you’d lift their spirits; you’re great at it.”

Sarah grinned as she followed him out the door, delighted to see the Judgement Boy she knew and cared for back. _That’s not a bad idea. If I keep everyone happy and make them have faith in Monoputa setting us free, no one will die!_

“Thanks, Judgement Boy. But do you think Gold will let you in?” Sarah noted that his door was still shut.

Judgement Boy shrugged happily. “Well he can’t just sit in there forever. He’s got to eat some time! And if he’s going to let anyone in, it’ll be me.” Judgement Boy winked at Sarah. “I just have to wait until he’s ready. If he won’t let me in, I could always perform judgements pass the time and lift up everyone’s attitudes through my songs! Gold would be proud I’m spending my time so constructively too. ‘You can’t get better if you don’t showcase your talent!’”

Sarah nodded happily. “Just be careful when you choose who to sing to. Gregory Mama would _love_ to hear you sing, I’m sure.”

Judgement Boy snickered. “Yeah, I’ll be careful.”

“Well, I’ll follow your suggestion and lift some spirits. Good luck with Gold, Judgement Boy!” Sarah turned on the spot and began to make her way down the hall.

“You too! Oh, and Sarah?” Sarah turned expectantly towards Judgement Boy. He rushed forward and picked her up into one last hug, much softer this time. “Thanks for being there.”

Sarah felt her skin go hot and squeezed him back. “Anytime.”

Judgement Boy broke away and shot her a grin before knocking on Gold’s door again. Sarah walked down the hallway again and recalled something. _I didn’t see much of Angel Dog today… maybe I should go find her. She always gives good advice; maybe she can help calm me down…_

Sarah wandered aimlessly through the hallway. When Angel Dog didn’t answer Sarah knocking on her door, Sarah decided to check the lounge and the kitchen.

_Oh, I hope Gregory Mama left…_ Sarah went into the lounge to find that it was empty, except for Clock Master dead asleep on the couch. Sarah noticed a large set of doors that she didn’t go through yet and tiptoed past the sleeping Clock Master, carefully opening the doors so she didn’t disturb him.

On the other side of the doors, Sarah found a room that was mostly empty, apart from the dark hallway it stretched into on the left and a large set of stairs…which were covered by a large, impassable steel gate that stretched all the way around it and was so tall it touched the ceiling.

In front of the gate was Angel Dog and Hell’s Chef, the latter tugging on the gate with all his might. After a few moments, he growled under his breath and shrugged at Angel Dog.

“Oh, dang it!” Angel Dog aggressively shook her wand. “If only I still remembered how to use this thing… or if it’s even magical at all!”

“What’s up with the gate?” Sarah asked as she approached the odd couple. “It’s huge…”

“Huge is an understatement!” Angel Dog let out a frustrated sigh. “Hell’s Chef found this when he was walking around.”

“I thought upstairs would have…” Hell’s Chef looked up at the dark, closed-off staircase. “…something that could help.”

Sarah squinted at Hell’s Chef. Was it her imagination, or did his freakish glowing eyes look a little sad?

“Chef’s upset because everyone thinks he’s going to kill someone right off the bat!” Angel Dog patted Chef on one of his broad shoulders and he visibly bristled. “James was calling him a psychopath! That’s a heck of a thing to call someone you barely know! Children can be so cruel…”

“Don’t spread that around!” Chef swatted Angel Dog away as if she were an annoying fly.

“Uh-uh-uh!” Angel Dog barely dodged his hand and he bit a growl in two. “Remember what I told you! Take deep breaths when you get angry! You don’t have to be violent right away!”

Hell’s Chef grumbled a bit, but he ultimately surrendered and he took a few deep breaths in an attempt to calm himself down.

“Why would they close off the… why are you looking at me like that?” Sarah raised an eyebrow at Angel Dog, whose eyes were so wide they were practically taking up her entire face.

“Between your legs…” Angel Dog flew backwards and hit the grate over the stairs, shakily pointing her wand at Sarah’s thighs.

“My legs…?” Sarah leaned forward and screeched when she saw what Angel Dog was pointing at.

“Red lace, huh?” Monoputa was happily looking right up Sarah’s denim skirt, grinning like a fool. “I never would have pegged you for _that_ type of girl!”

“Nnnngh…” Hell’s Chef covered his ears and audibly began to grind his teeth.

Sarah jumped backwards, closing her skirt at the bottom. “What do _you_ want?!”

“Just came here to answer some questions, share a little info…” Monoputa gave Sarah puppy eyes and rocked back and forth on his feet. “Why are you treating me like I’m a gross spider?”

“You looked up her skirt!” Angel Dog raised her wand threateningly.

“Don’t you even think of hitting me with that~” Monoputa waggled a finger at her. “Unless you’re prepared for the consequences!”

Angel Dog hid her wand behind her back. She didn’t want to put her own life on the line just because she was angry…

“Just tell us what you came here for…” Hell’s Chef voice was simmering. “You make me sick.”

“Your cooking makes _me_ sick!” Monoputa dramatically pointed at Hell’s Chef, sniggering. “I ate some earlier. Super gross. Try harder.”

Hell’s Chef let out a roar and darted forward, but Sarah and Angel Dog lunged at him and managed to stop him.

“LET ME GO!” Hell’s Chef thrashed and nearly threw the girls off of him, but they held fast.

“Deep breaths, Chef! Deep breaths!” Angel Dog had to practically scream to be heard over Hell’s Chef’s roaring. “Don’t hurt him! He’s more than capable of _killing_ you!”

The K-word stopped Hell’s Chef in his tracks. He went limp and contented himself with glaring at Monoputa.

“Hehehe, I love having this power over people!” Monoputa giggled fiendishly. “Just be a good little boy and maybe I won’t have to kill you directly, eh?” He batted his eyelashes at Hell’s Chef and Chef clenched his hands into tight fists, but made no move to attack Monoputa. “But if you want to take out your frustration on someone else, I certainly won’t stop you! I’ve got a nice little execution planned out, after all~”

Hell’s Chef folded his arms and looked directly into Monoputa’s eyes, glowering with everything he had. “Stop avoiding the subject.”

“Yeah, what’s going on with this gate?” Sarah tugged at it. “Why aren’t you letting us go upstairs?”

“You gotta earn it~!” Monoputa sang, bobbling around again. “I’m not telling you how, exactly, but it might involve a bit of murder. Just a little bit.”

Angel Dog and Sarah covered their mouths and Hell’s Chef grunted and shook his head in disapproval.

“So… we’re never getting to go upstairs, then?” Sarah folded her arms and stuck out a hip. “I can’t _believe_ you’re closing off areas of this place to us!”

“Oh, I wouldn’t say that so soon…” Monoputa giggled his horrible little giggle again. “You guys are all nuts! Plus, the baths are up there. You guys are gonna get awful smelly if no murders are committed!”

“Sinks!” Angel Dog barked. “We’ll use the kitchen sinks! It’ll take a long time, but no one will have to die…!”

“You are _not_ using my kitchen sinks to clean your filthy bodies.” Hell’s Chef sneered.

“The bathroom sinks, then!” Angel Dog nodded.

“Just keep telling yourselves that…” Monoputa sighed, flicking his veil. “Oh, and one more thing. Down that hallway there’s a library and a lounge with a TV. Enjoy them. You’re going to need some entertainment to take your minds off things, I’m certain.” Monoputa pointed to the hallway and all the candles along the wall lit up. “Go ahead and tell everyone else! You can kill some time together. Off with you!”

“How’d you do that…?” Sarah’s jaw dropped at Monoputa’s magical candle-lighting feat.

“Talent,” Monoputa whirled around and ran off into the shadows, disappearing completely.

“Books, huh?” Sarah couldn’t help smiling at the door marked Library. “I always liked reading. Really helps me forget all about my worries and it keeps me sane… I could use a good book at a time like this. There were a couple on the bookshelf in my room, but they seemed boring.”

“ _Anything_ to get our minds off killing…” Angel Dog hugged her wand, her usually radiant face solemn. “Let’s go tell the others. I’m sure they’ll be grateful to hear about this.”

Angel Dog and Sarah headed out into the lobby, but Hell’s Chef remained at the staircase, staring up into the grate-covered darkness.

_What is that disgusting thing hiding from us?_ He thought, bunching up his apron in tightly clenched fists. _Uuugh, I wish I could force it out of him!_

 

_GHS_

 

Mostly everyone headed for the lounge or didn’t bother to check out the hallway at all. A smaller group headed to the library and were happily looking through the books, forgetting their troubles if only for a while.

“Grandpa! Omigosh, they have COMICS!” James held up an armful of colorfully printed comic books, his eyes glimmering. “I thought this library would be lame, but it’s _not!”_

“Can I read one?” Drool seeped out of Roulette Boy’s smiling mouth as he reached for one of the books, but James snatched them away before he could grab any.

“No, I’m first!” James ran to a corner, stacked up the comics, and sat on them, reading one he grabbed at random from the pile.

“James, you should share!” Gregory scolded his grandson, barely looking up from the book he was reading.

“No way! He can read them later!” James peeked up from his comic to smirk at Roulette Boy. “I got first dibs.”

“Hmph, I don’t wanna read them if they had his butt on them…” Roulette Boy grumbled to no one in particular. “I don’t care anymore.”

Roulette Boy went to sulk at one of the tables when he felt something bump against his roulette wheel. He looked up to see the very first _Wimp Brigade_ comic book right in front of him. He craned his neck and saw that Judgement Boy was holding it by its corner between his two round hands.

“James missed one,” Judgement Boy whispered to Roulette Boy. “Grabbed it before he noticed. It’s all yours.”

Judgement Boy dropped it and Roulette Boy caught it, gasping with delight. Roulette Boy looked up at Judgement Boy, his eyes glimmering and drool sliding off his chin and dribbling onto his shirt.

“Thanks, creepy guy!” With a spring in his step, Roulette Boy tottered over to a table, sat down, and opened the comic, kicking his little legs with excitement.

“That was noble of you,” Sarah said, poking her head out from around a shelf.

Judgement Boy snickered. “I’m not usually one to judge, but-”

Sarah narrowed her eyes at him, smirking. “Yeah you are.”

“Yes I am. But that James… he doesn’t seem like a very good friend…” Judgement Boy tried to lower his voice, but it was to no avail.

“I heard that!” James threw his comic down and snarled at Judgement Boy. “I’m a _great_ friend! I’m gonna let Roulette Boy read these eventually, so buzz off! My life is none of your business!” After blowing a raspberry at Judgement Boy, James turned his attention back to his comic book.

Judgement Boy ignored James, yet again, and turned his attention to the shelves. “Sarah, can you help me find something for Gold? He likes mysteries.”

“Sure thing,” Sarah’s eyes began to scan the shelves. “So have you had any luck with him?”

“Well, no,” he admitted, smiling and rubbing the back of his head. “But books should help him come around. Reading calms your mind and help you relax. If I get one, he’ll feel better.” He looked over at her, a little uncertain. “Right?”

“Right,” Sarah nodded reassuringly and a smile returned to Judgement Boy’s face. “But you might want a book that will calm his mind too. No murder mysteries.”

“Boooring!” James called out from over on his throne of books.

“James, leave them be,” Gregory scolded without looking up.

Sarah frowned at James who pulled a face. Roulette Boy didn’t even pay attention to them and was fully engrossed in the comic Judgement Boy gave him. Sarah went back to studying the shelf. She pressed her finger against a particular book and slowly pulled it out. It’s title read _Judgement Day._

Monoputa suddenly sprung out of nowhere and yanked it from her grasp.

“Hey! Give that back!” Sarah swiped for the book but Monoputa leapt out of her reach.

“Tsk tsk tsk. Do you really want to challenge _me?_ Remember what Angel Dog said to Hell’s Chef!” He raised his voice so it became mockingly sweet. “Deep breaths! Deep breaths!” He leaned back and let out an uproarious laugh.

Sarah frowned at him and pulled her hand back. “Fine. But why do you want the book?”

Monoputa looked nervous for a second and a trickle of sweat rolled down his face. “I, er, left it there by accident.” He leaned forward menacingly and raised his voice. “BUT THIS BOOK IS BY NO MEANS FOR YOU! DON’T EVEN THINK ABOUT LOOKING FOR IT!”

“Okay, okay,” Sarah said quickly, her arms slightly extended defensively.

“Don’t worry, I’m sure there’s other books here,” Judgement Boy said happily. He picked a book off the shelf and examined its cover. His face instantly changed to one of confusion. “This book… Has you on it, Gregory.”

“Wh-what?” The old rat jumped and gave Judgement Boy his full attention.

Monoputa yelped and snatched the book from Judgement Boy. “Nope! Not this book either!” He turned slightly away from everyone else and began to mutter to himself. Sarah strained her ears to listen. “If they’ve already seen these, how many more did I leave behind?” He turned back to the others, his face stern. “Alright, listen up! I want everyone outta here right now!”

“AWW!” A huge collective moan came from Roulette Boy and James.

“No fair! I was just getting to the good part!” James complained.

Gregory, who seemed slightly distant ever since Judgement Boy mentioned the book, stood up and made his way over to the door. “Now now, James. We don’t want to upset Monoputa. I think it’s best to leave whatever’s in this library behind.”

“Yeah, let’s get out of here,” Roulette Boy agreed, putting down his comic. “I don’t want to be here when Monoputa goes straight over to the dirty romance books.”

“Hey! Do I really strike you as that kind of Prompter?!” Monoputa yelled

“Considering you looked up my skirt today, yeah,” Sarah pitched in.

Roulette Boy started giggling obnoxiously loudly.

Monoputa’s flustered expression quickly changed to one of fury. “EVERYONE OUT, NOW!”

Monoputa got behind Judgement Boy and started steering him in the direction of the door. He pushed him into Sarah and they both got swept up in the tide of strength Monoputa possessed.

“Whoa, whoa, slow down! We can go by ourselves!” Judgement Boy insisted, blushing a little.

Monoputa stopped pushing and changed his target to James. Gregory held open the door.

“After you, my friends,” he chuckled darkly.

Sarah raised an eyebrow as she walked out with Judgement Boy in tow. “Uh, thanks?”

“James, come out here right now!” Gregory insisted to his stubborn grandson.

James was still sitting on his pile of comics. “I don’t want to leave! I want to at least take my comic with me!”

Monoputa snatched it out of his hands. He was quite good at that. “GET OUT!”

James pulled a face at him and took off out of the room, Roulette Boy following him. Gregory shut the door behind them and turned to face Judgement Boy.

“My friend, if you do not mind me asking, what was that book?” He looked at Judgment Boy curiously.

“It was called _Gregory Exposed #3_ ,” he reported with a puzzled expression.

“Three?!” Gregory exclaimed. “Oh dear. And you’re sure it was me?” Judgement Boy nodded with an uncomfortable smile. “That is troubling.” Gregory looked to the library door.

“I’m BORED!” James announced loudly. “C'mon Roulette Boy! Let’s look for something to do!”

“Yeah!” Roulette Boy cheered.

The two children sped off down the hall and Gregory sighed. “Forgive me, my friends, but I have to watch over them. Heaven knows what Mama would do if I left them alone…”

Gregory trudged after them unenthusiastically. He knew running after them was pointless and one way or another their whereabouts would be revealed.

“I was really hoping to get a good book for Gold,” Judgement Boy sighed. “But now I’d be happy with any old book…”

Sarah looked at him sympathetically. “I guess you’ll have to find some other way to cheer him up. Why don’t you go check up on him? The library will be open later, I hope.”

Judgement Boy nodded. “I could always grab a book then.” He smiled happily. “For now, I’ll do my best to work with what I have! See you around, Sarah!”

Judgement Boy went down the hall singing away to himself. Sarah had a feeling he was still a little more upset than he let on but she admired how he kept a brave face for his mentor. _It’s getting late, but I don’t feel that tired. Might as well try to sleep… it won’t do me any good if I have no energy._

 

_GHS_

 

Sarah had been lying awake in bed for what seemed like _hours,_ not even the slightest hint of tiredness there to drag her into dreamland. She had way too much on her mind…

_What was going on with Monoputa in the library? What is he hiding from us? What’s upstairs? Is Gold going crazy? Is Hell’s Chef going crazy? Is everyone going crazy? Will a body turn up tomorrow morning?_

Sarah figured getting up and walking around the room would help her get at least a little tired. She climbed out of bed, smoothed her nightgown, and began to wander around aimlessly.

After pacing for a little while, she heard a loud cry from next door.

_“MEOOOOOOOOW!”_

_Neko Zombie can’t sleep either?_ Sarah blinked, resting her ear against the wall. Sure enough, she could hear Neko Zombie’s footfalls as he paced around his own room, mumbling to himself.

_I should check on him…_ Sarah bit her lip and headed towards her own door before she could change her mind. _Maybe I can stop him from doing something he’d regret…_

Sarah tiptoed to Neko Zombie’s door, which was metal and cell-like, a sharp contrast to everyone else’s more friendly-looking doors. Sarah raised her fist to knock, but before she could, she heard Neko Zombie sigh. “Hello, Sarah.”

“H-how’d you know it was me?” Sarah replied, her voice low. She didn’t want to wake anyone else up…

“You have a very distinctive smell,” Neko Zombie said. Sarah wasn’t sure whether that was a compliment or an insult… “You can come in. The door’s not locked or anything.”

Sarah headed into Neko Zombie’s room to find that it was pretty much barren, apart from a cot that Neko Zombie was currently sitting on.

“Why is your room so…” Sarah struggled to find the right word as she shut the door behind her.

“I have no idea,” Neko Zombie shrugged. “Monoputa must hate cats…”

_That’s another reason to hate Monoputa…_ Sarah ground her teeth a bit as she headed over to Neko Zombie. “Do you mind if I sit down too?”

“Go nuts,” Neko Zombie patted the spot next to him and Sarah perched on the edge of his bed.

Sarah smiled sheepishly at Neko Zombie and he turned to look at her. _God, those stitches are horrifying!_

“You don’t have to answer this, but…” Sarah bit her lip, averting her eyes from Neko Zombie’s stitched up face. “Who stitched you up?”

“Oh…” Neko Zombie ran a claw over the stitches over his mouth. “I… I don’t remember. I don’t remember a lot of things. It’s been eating away at me.”

“You’re not the only one…” Sarah bounced one of her legs nervously. “I only remember little bits of my reality… Monoputa must have really messed with our heads.”

“And he still is…” Neko Zombie sighed and scooted back on the bed so he could rest his back against the wall. “I can tell just by looking at everyone. They all want out of here. Some more than others, but I can see it in the face of every last person here. Since we have Monoputa throwing… motives at us, I have no doubt in my mind that someone’s blood will be spilled. Maybe not soon, but eventually. Monoputa’s not going to give up until someone dies.”

“You shouldn’t think like that!” Sarah slammed a fist into Neko Zombie’s mattress. “I know it’s silly to put stock in people you barely know, but I’m sure if we all work together, we can get out of here! I just… have a feeling.”

“And there’s the optimism I’m jealous of…” Neko Zombie snickered, drawing his knees up to his chest and hugging his legs. He flicked his tail a few times before he coiled it around himself. “I never understood how people could think like that.”

“It’s just focusing on the good instead of the bad,” Sarah shrugged. “I’m not completely free of bad thoughts; they’re the reason I couldn’t sleep. No matter how positive my words are, there’s always a little nagging voice in the back of my head telling me that I’m wrong.”

“What if you _are_ wrong?” Neko Zombie stared straight into Sarah’s eyes. “Are you prepared to deal with the sadness and disappointment? What if someone you’re close to dies? You can’t let your grief take over you. You need to work hard and help everyone weed out the murderer.”

“You’re right…” Sarah sighed and slumped over, her hair covering her face. “Can… can we talk about things that aren’t murder, though? I’d like to take my mind off of everything…”

“That sounds like a good idea,” Neko Zombie nodded the slightest bit.

The two of them talked for who knows how long about things they heard other people say, the incident at the library, and what they thought was upstairs, among many other things. Neko Zombie was a very good listener and he even cracked a smile on occasion while he was talking to Sarah.

_Good,_ Sarah thought with satisfaction. _I hope I’m cheering him up, even if it’s only a little bit._

“…that’s why I’m glad we have people like Angel Dog, not everyone is… hey, are you okay?” Sarah’s brow furrowed with concern as she looked at Neko Zombie’s expression.

Neko Zombie was staring straight ahead, his eyes wide and his jaw as slack as it would go.

“Neko Zombie!” Sarah jostled his shoulder, which snapped him out of it.

“Sarah… don’t panic, but…” Neko Zombie turned to face her and Sarah noticed sweat was beading on his forehead. “I smell blood.”

“BLOOD?!” Sarah covered her mouth to keep from shouting again. “H-how can you be sure?”

“It’s definitely blood. I’d know that smell anywhere…” Neko Zombie jumped to his feet and raised his chin, sniffing the air. “I’d suggest that we investigate ourselves, but if we get discovered by anyone and there _is_ a body, they might think we did it. I’m going to wake everyone up. Cover your ears.”

Sarah, too worried to argue, cupped her hands over her ears and squeezed her eyes shut.

Neko Zombie stepped out into the hallway and let out the loudest yowl in the history of the universe.

Almost instantaneously, Gregory Mama came running out of her room, glaring daggers at Neko Zombie. She was soon joined by Gregory, Clock Master, and Catherine, followed by Cactus Girl and her brother.

Strangely, no one else seemed to want to bother with seeing what Neko Zombie was yowling about.

“I think this is enough people…” Neko Zombie nodded to Sarah, who nodded back, nervously wringing her hands.

“Enough people for what?” Catherine asked, swallowing a yawn.

“Yeah, why did you wake all of us up?” Cactus Girl demanded, her fists on her hips.

“I wouldn’t have done it if it wasn’t important,” Neko Zombie looked at Gregory Mama intensely. “Please stop glaring. This is serious.”

“What could be serious enough to interrupt my beauty sleep?” Gregory Mama stomped a foot, her angry expression intensifying.

“I smell blood. That’s what’s so serious,” Neko Zombie’s comment shut everyone up and they looked at each other nervously.

“B-b-BLOOD?!” Cactus Gunman clung to his sister, who gave him a reassuring pat on the arm.

“Where… where’s the smell coming from?” Clock Master whispered, as if the murderer would somehow be able to hear him.

Neko Zombie lifted his head again and sniffed the air. “This way. Come on,” Neko Zombie gestured for the group to follow him.

When Neko Zombie opened the door to the lounge, he stopped dead in his tracks and gasped, his paw covering his mouth.

“What is…” Sarah stood on her toes to look over Neko Zombie’s shoulder and nearly fainted when she saw what he was looking at.

It was James, his eyes wide open, lying on his back…

…with his head soaked in a pool of his own blood.


	4. Devil Dog

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Investigation, part 1!_   
>  _This one was mostly written by Ven rather than myself but there’s still quite a bit of stuff by me in here. Also, the illustrations are by shortlifelongart again this time around~ :D_   
>  _I hope you enjoy it!_

Everyone stared in silence for what seemed like an eternity, barely breathing. After a while, Catherine pushed past Neko Zombie and entered the lobby, approaching the body.

“What are you _doing?!”_ Gregory shoved by Neko Zombie so hard he slammed the poor cat into the wall. “Don’t you touch my grandson!”

“He’s not your grandson anymore,” Catherine crouched down next to James, reaching for his arm. “He’s no longer with us…at least I don’t think he is.” She pressed two fingers to his wrist and held her breath, waiting to feel a pulse.

“GREGORY! You pathetic idiot!” Gregory Mama shouted from her place at the very back of the petrified group. “I can’t believe you let your own grandson get _killed!”_

She shoved the entire crowd into the lounge, toppling Neko Zombie over and caused him to faceplant right in James’ blood. He pushed himself up and shook his head, effectively removing some of the blood and clearing his mind at the same time.

“I-it wasn’t my fault, Mama! I don’t know what he was doing out at this hour!” Gregory backed away from his mother, shaking like a leaf. “I-I told him he’d be safe if he stayed in his room, but he didn’t listen!”

“I’m ashamed of you! _Ashamed!”_ Gregory Mama approached her son, holding her staff over her head. Before she could bring it down, someone grabbed onto it from behind.

“What the-?!” Gregory Mama turned around to see Cactus Girl, who had a deathgrip on Gregory Mama’s staff.

“Fighting won’t do _anything_ to help the situation!” Cactus Girl chastised, her grip tightening so much her knuckles whitened. “Leave your son alone! A mother should be _supportive_ at a time like this!”

“That’s my seester!” Cactus Gunman cheered, pride welling up in his voice.

Gregory Mama looked over her shoulder, glaring daggers at Cactus Girl. “Let. Go.”

“I’m not letting go until you promise to let up on Gregory; there’s a body here! The dead body of a _child!_ Your great-grandson!” Cactus Girl glared right back and Gregory could have sworn he saw a spark between the two women’s eyes.

“…fine. But I’m going to give him a piece of my mind later on,” Gregory Mama’s glare softened a bit and Cactus Girl let go with a smirk.

“Good,” she said, stepping back. Gregory let out a sigh of relief and looked at Cactus Girl as if she were God.

“…as I was about to say…” Catherine let out a sad sigh. “James is dead. Without question.”

Everyone went quiet and looked at James, some closing their eyes in grief.

“How could I let this happen…?” Gregory whispered, which made the following silence seem all the thicker.

That is, until a certain squeaky voice rang out.

“He’s dead, dead, dead! Dead as a doorknob!” Monoputa jumped out from behind the couch, a microphone in his hands. He flicked a switch and began talking into it, his voice echoing all throughout the hotel. “A body has been found in the lobby~! I don’t care how sleepy you guys are; you should get up and investigate if you know what’s good for you!”

As everyone filed into the lobby, Gregory moved to a couch, his face buried in his hands, choking back sobs.

“Wait… it’s… him?” Hell’s Chef seemed a bit amazed that James was the first one to go. “I thought it would be-”

Angel Dog flew up behind him and covered his mouth. “What did I say about planting the seeds of paranoia~?” she scolded. Hell’s Chef growled behind her hand and she let him go.

“Oh God… oh God… oh God…” Steve grabbed at his hair and actually tore out a sizable chunk of it.

“J… James…?” Roulette Boy looked at the corpse of his former friend, his eyes welling up with tears. Even if James had treated him badly, he was still the only person who didn’t brush off Roulette Boy and actually spent time with him. “James is… dead?”

“I’m afraid so…” Mummy Papa shook his head, the blood from his own wound flicking onto the floor with the motion.

Roulette Boy sniffled, took a deep breath, and began to bawl his eyes out.

“NNNNGH!” Hell’s Chef covered his ears and glared at the crying Roulette Boy. “Make it stop!”

Angel Dog gasped and flew over to the child, taking him in her arms. “Let it all out, little guy. This must be really scary for you…” She patted Roulette Boy’s back and he hugged her gratefully, soaking her nightgown with his tears.

“JUDGEMENT BOY!” Gold smacked his pupil in the back of the head. “YOU SAID THERE WOULD BE NO DEATHS! YOU WERE WRONG! I didn’t raise you to be wrong!”

“I… I didn’t know this would happen!” Judgement Boy frowned at his master. “I’m just as shocked as everyone else here!”

“Don’t worry, you two,” Cactus Girl gave the Judgement Boys a serious look. “We’re going to figure out who killed them and they’ll be sorry!”

“What do we do now…?” Clock Master looked at Monoputa, his brow creased with worry.

“Were you listening at _all?”_ Monoputa scowled at Clock Master, folding his arms and sticking out a hip. “You’ve gotta investigate and figure out the murder! There’s fifteen of you; one of you is _bound_ to find a clue of some sort! Then we have a trial and the murderer either gets executed or set free to their reality. Do I have to recap this every single goddamned day?”

“When can we start investigating?” Sarah asked, casting James a nervous look. He was dead all right; no one could have survived losing that much blood… and from their head, too! James’ blonde hair was absolutely caked with clotted scarlet. The smell and sight of it was making Sarah sick… she pointedly moved a few steps away from the body.

“After I do a little somethin’,” Monoputa winked at Sarah before calling “Oh, Deaaaath~!”

“Death…?” Poor Conductor gave Monoputa a look of confusion and fear.

Everyone’s questions were answered when the sound of a bell rang throughout the room and a robe-clad, flying skeleton suddenly appeared, scythe in tow.

“Monoputa! I was wondering when you’d call me,” The skeleton, who Sarah assumed was Death, bumped his fist against Monoputa’s. Death whirled around, his robes billowing behind him as he flew close to James’ corpse. “Is this the one?”

“Sure is! His soul is yours, like we agreed,” Monoputa gave the Grim Reaper a sinister grin.

“Just as well…” Gregory Mama mumbled to herself. _If I ate that soul, I’d become a little *too* young._

“Don’t sweat it, I’m not taking the body,” Death flicked his wrist at Catherine when he noticed her shocked expression. “You can use it for all your investigation needs! Just taking his soul, no biggie!”

Death held his scythe over James, and with a mighty “HOO-AH!”, his scythe began to glow. A green soul wafted up from James’ chest and Death caught it in a little jar.

“Oh, this one’s restless!” Death held the jar up to the side of his head, nodding sagely. “What? You say you were murdered?”

“By who? Who killed my grandson?!” Gregory’s grief had changed to anger. If it didn’t involve moving so close to the corpse, Gregory would have surely grabbed Death by the robes and tugged until the Reaper told him what he wanted to know.

“James wants to tell you that… but I won’t let him,” With that, Death tucked James’ soul jar into his robe and shrugged at Gregory. “Sorry, buddy, but Monoputa and I have an agreement. You need to solve this murder yourself!”

“Yeah, it would be no fun if we went right to the execution with no buildup at all!” Monoputa giggled.

“No _fun?”_ Cactus Girl quivered with rage. “How can you possibly talk about fun at a time like this?”

“Easily!” Monoputa grinned at her.

“A'ight, well, I’ll be going then,” Death said with a nod. “Good luck, buddy!” Death’s voice echoed around the room as he disappeared with James’ soul, leaving no trace.

“Now before you start investigating, I have a little something for you,” Monoputa’s eyes glimmered mischievously. He pulled out a big bunch of giant sacks, each labeled with a different person’s name. “These are evidence bags! One for each of you! Just put evidence into it and it’ll instantly be transported to me! Good stuff, huh?” Monoputa tossed each person their sack. “Oh, and don’t put your arm too far inside or it’ll get torn off and labeled as evidence. Death told me I _had_ to tell you guys about that.” Monoputa huffed and folded his arms.

Sarah looked down nervously at the bag she’d been given. For once, she’d been given information she wanted to hear. Not knowing it would lead to an awful situation.

“One other thing,” Monoputa pulled out a bunch of files and began passing them to each person. _“This_ contains information on the body and some other tidbits of knowledge that I got for you.” Monoputa pulled an innocent smile. “Aren’t I nice?” He laughed evilly to himself. “Now read that in your own time; I’m not going over it with you, but I will say it has a wonderful name…” He paused for dramatic effect. “The Monoputa File!” He outrageously laughed again.

“W-wait! Are you sure one of _us_ did it?” Steve asked nervously. When all eyes hit him, he shrank back. “I-I mean, we seem to get along-”

Monoputa rolled his eyes, sick of the naivety in the group. Despite this, he lowered his head slightly and pulled a wicked grin. “That’s right, you timid moron. Someone. In this very room. Killed James.” Monoputa cast a sly glance over at Neko Zombie who didn’t even flinch.

Gregory followed Monoputa’s gaze and muttered something menacing under his breath.

Monoputa giggled. “Oh the accusations are _flying_ already! Whelp, I’ll leave you to it then. Have fun!” With that, Monoputa disappeared.

Sarah looked at James’ body determinedly. _I guess it’s time to start the investigation._

“I…” Everyone’s heads swivelled to face Gold and instantly his eyes widened like those of a cornered rabbit. “Whoever did it… YOU AREN’T GETTING ME NEXT!” Gold shot out of the room leaving everyone with stunned, skeptical faces; minus Judgement Boy who seemed torn between following him and staying with the group.

“Well _that_ was suspicious,” Angel Dog commented, waving her wand loosely in one hand. “So let’s get started, shall we? Everyone split up and find those clues! We’ll track down that culprit in no time!” She giggled sweetly.

“Wait a moment,” Neko Zombie’s cold, almost emotionless voice stopped everyone in their tracks.

Gregory Mama grunted frustratedly. “What do you want, you hideous feline?” _That_ thing _will never be as beautiful as me,_ she thought, turning up her nose slightly. _It’s simply disgusting…_

“Don’t you think it’s likely the culprit might change the crime scene to twist things in their favour?” Neko Zombie meowed as he used his paw to wipe the rest of the blood off his face. “If that happens, we may never find out who did it.”

“You’re right,” Cactus Gunman said, his eyes widening in bewilderment. “What do we do?” He looked around in a desperate manner at each individual, searching for someone with the answer.

“We should set up a guard,” Cactus Girl nodded, proud of her answer. “They’d need to be strong and able to defend themselves.” She scanned the crowd and let her eyes rest on Hell’s Chef. “He seems capable, I say Hell’s Chef guards.”

“Ooh, I second that,” Catherine put a hand to her chest and looked at him lustfully with a devious smirk. “You’ll do _perfect.”_

Hell’s Chef grunted. “Don’t be surprised if I leave to cook.”

“Then _I’ll_ guard too!” Angel Dog flew next to Hell’s Chef and gave him a stern look. “I’ll make sure he doesn’t wander too far.”

“I’ve told you…” Hell’s Chef looked up at her, folding his thick arms. “I don’t need a babysitter.”  
“Well, obviously you do!” Angel Dog shook her wand at him, glitter falling off of it. Some landed in Hell’s Chef’s eye and he grunted, scrubbing at his eye with a finger.

“Don’t start bickering,” Catherine looked at Angel Dog with barely disguised contempt. “Please be quiet, everyone, I need to examine the body…”

Everyone was silent as Catherine carefully looked at the wound on James’ head, apart from Gregory, who was quietly sobbing, and Neko Zombie, who was quietly drooling.

Sarah noticed Neko Zombie hungrily eyeing the corpse and casually closed his mouth. Neko Zombie frowned at her and she shook her head, as if to say _“Maybe the hungry cat shouldn’t stick around the dead rat.”_

Neko Zombie quietly nodded in agreement and made a mental note to look for clues elsewhere once Catherine was all done with the body.

After a close examination, Catherine looked up, a flash in her eyes. “Blunt force trauma!” she exclaimed, breaking the palpable silence.

“Blunt force trauma…?” Judgement Boy tilted his head. “I don’t see anything in here that could have given him a wound like that…”

“There’s no question about it. He was hit twice with something heavy and dull,” Catherine sighed and rose to her feet, her hands bloody and her expression sullen. “What kind of person could kill a _child_ so brutally…?”

“Wh-whoever they are…” Poor Conductor trembled. “I’m just glad they struck now…if such a heartless murderer is among us, we should weed them out sooner rather than later.”

“How DARE you be glad about my grandson’s death!” Gregory leapt from his place on the couch and flew across the room, socking Poor Conductor in the nose and knocking him right on his butt.

Gregory was about to tear into Poor Conductor and he would have probably committed the second murder if Hell’s Chef didn’t come up behind him and pick him up by the back of his coat.

“LET ME GO!” Gregory wrenched at Hell’s Chef’s hand, but he held fast. “I need to teach this bastard a lesson! I bet _he’s_ the one who-”

Hell’s Chef used his other hand to cover Gregory’s mouth. “Stop,” he stated.

Poor Conductor whimpered and rose shakily to his feet.

“Dios mio… everyone’s accusing each other already…!” Cactus Gunman gripped his hat, his eyes shimmering with the threat of tears. “Let’s not fight! We need to work together at a time like this!”

“Gunman’s right!” Sarah’s tone became authoritative, and Gunman looked at her with a glowing smile, his tears all but gone. “We need to split up and search what parts of this place we have access to! There’s not too many places where you can hide evidence, so search every nook and cranny!”

“She’s right!” Cactus Girl stood on her toes to appear taller and braver. “I’ll search the library. Who’s with me?”

Steve raised a shaky hand. “Y-you seem like you know what you’re doing. Hopefully we can find something useful…”

Steve might be awfully creeped out by this place, but, deep down, he didn’t want to be a burden to anyone. Hiding behind the bold Cactus Girl and working hard to help with the cases might, just might, help him get rid of his shakiness.

Cactus Girl grinned when he volunteered and ran over to him, pulling him towards the library without so much as a goodbye or a good luck to anyone else.

Judgement Boy and Roulette Boy said they’d search the lobby, Poor Conductor and Clock Master would take the kitchen, Mummy Papa, Gregory, and Neko Zombie said they’d do a sweep of all the guest rooms, and Hell’s Chef and Angel Dog would stick with guarding the body.

“Guess that leaves you and me, Gunman…” Sarah sighed a bit.

“I’m not complaining…” Gunman grinned at her and Sarah sighed again, much louder this time.

“Now’s not the time for this. You and me are going to move through the building, make sure everyone’s doing all right, and look for clues along the way. But first…put some clothes on. Gregory Mama? Catherine?” Sarah looked around Gunman and smiled a bit too formally at the two women. “Can you two check the bathrooms and closets?”

Gregory Mama cast a sidelong glance at Catherine and muttered “Fine…” under her breath.

Catherine smiled. “Of course. And I’ll read up on that file Monoputa gave us too. Good luck!”

As Catherine and Gregory Mama strode out of the room with dignity, Sarah turned to Cactus Gunman.

“Alright, we should head off to get changed,” Sarah stated, eying her companion’s night attire. Cactus Gunman nodded in dreamy acceptance. “Good luck you two!” She called out to Judgement Boy and Roulette Boy.

Roulette Boy sniffled. “If I find who killed James, I’ll wring their fat neck…”

Sarah and Judgement Boy exchanged wary glances before he wished her the best of luck too. She exited the lobby with Gunman in tow. When Sarah reached her room, he tipped his hat.

“Adios, senorita. Until we meet again.”

Sarah smiled. “See you in the lobby!”

She entered her room and stifled laughter. She wouldn’t be forgetting Gunman strolling around in only his underwear anytime soon. Sarah put the Monoputa File on her bed and slipped off her nightgown. She put on her clothes and as she finished pulling her shirt over her head, she spotted something out of the ordinary. She frowned and made her way towards it. _I don’t remember this…_ Sarah ran her finger over the decorative framework of the painting in her room. It felt cool and massaged her finger. Despite the soothing touch, the painting the frame contained was unsettling.

For starters, this painting wasn’t in her room before. She had had one of a desolate, misty forest. What was in front of her was a road with a dead end. _Where have I seen this before?_ Something was smudged into the canvas. She leaned forward and sniffed it suspiciously. _Blood._ She’d know that metallic smell anywhere. _Why is this on the painting? And why is it in my room?_

More confused than ever, she took the painting down and got out her evidence bag. She opened it tentatively and dropped the painting in, paranoid it’d rip off her arm. She put it away and picked up the Monoputa File. _Time to meet with Gunman._

 

_GHS_

 

“Senor? A word?” Cactus Gunman called out to Judgement Boy. Gunman had gotten changed quite quickly, only having to put clothes on rather than having to take some off. Judgement Boy promised a still sobbing Roulette Boy he’d be back soon and glided over to Gunman. Before he could say anything Cactus Gunman quickly blurted out what had been on his mind. “What is happening between you and Sarah?”

“Sarah?” Judgement Boy’s face erupted into a blush. “Why are you asking me this _now?”_  
“HA!” Cactus Gunman pointed an accusing finger at Judgement Boy. “You are blushing! There MUST be something going on!”

“L-look, we shouldn’t be talking about this right now,” Judgement Boy nervously insisted. “James just died and we really should be focusing on finding the murderer.”

“Hmph.” Cactus Gunman pulled his hat down over his face defiantly. “Well, I can see there is clearly something going on, so for now, I want you to stay away from her.”

Judgement Boy’s gazed hardened. “What did you say? Stay _away_ from her?” He edged closer. “You think you’re so good for her, how about I give you a judgement to test that?”

“I accept your challenge, senor,” Cactus Gunman leaned forward and stared Judgement Boy in the eyes. “Bring it on!”

Gunman hoped Judgement Boy couldn’t see his knees wobbling. Gunman hated to admit it, but when Judgement Boy was doing his judgements, he seemed like a completely different person… crueler, merciless even, with a steely gaze and a malicious smirk. Gunman felt like he was stark naked as Judgement Boy stared right at him, no doubt coming up with a way to trip Gunman up.

“I see!” Judgement Boy’s eyes sparkled as his smirk spread to epic proportions. “It’s time to _judge_ your feelings!”

“I’m ready!” Cactus Gunman puffed out his chest, doing his best to look macho.

Judgement Boy straightened up and his face returned to it’s usual serious demeanor that it has when he performed judgements. “Sarah has been mortally wounded and is being hospitalised in a heavily populated town. Unfortunately, this town is filled with your enemies and you are a wanted man. So, what do you do?”

Gunman looked troubled. As much as he cared about Sarah, he didn’t want to get himself killed. He screwed his eyes shut and reminded himself this was _Sarah_ they were talking about. And she was _mortally wounded_. Gunman snapped his eyes open, ready to answer. He tried to appear determined but that stare of Judgement Boy’s was absolutely terrifying.

“I-I would do anything to see her,” Cactus Gunman stammered, his macho appearance ruined in the process.

Judgement Boy smirked. “You say you’ll see her, despite the heavy odds against you, but are you sure? Let’s ask the Scales of Truth!” He rocked side to side, teasing an agonised Gunman with the duration. “Which will it be? Money or love? Only the Scales know for sure!”

Cactus Gunman gripped his hat and pulled it down over his face but left a little gap still enabling him to see the results. _Let me see my wounded senorita…_ Gunman begged, his knees like jelly as he willed Judgement Boy to get this over with.

“JUDGEMEEEEENNNT!” Judgement Boy spun around after watching his companion fret. Cactus Gunman jumped back so he wouldn’t be hit by those wild, hard cages. If he was this nervous about a hypothetical situation, Judgement Boy knew what he’d do, regardless of whether he needed to search through Gunman’s memories or not. He stopped spinning and Gunman peered out from underneath his hat. Judgement Boy opened a flap in the cage with the heart sign. The beautiful pink object fell to the floor, shattering into miniscule pieces. “In the end, you couldn’t work up the courage to face your enemies; even for the girl you love.” Judgement Boy leaned forward so they were almost nose to nose and stared him in the face. “She died alone in that hospital bed, _hoping_ you would come to see her as she passed on. Her hopes were in vain and she died with tears in her eyes. It was your choice, and now you have to live with it.” Judgement Boy smirked. “And that’s the truth.”

Cactus Gunman was completely shattered by the outcome. “Y-you think I’d just leave her to die alone?!” He fumed, anger overcoming his fear.

“According to the Scales of Truth, which never lie, you would. So there’s no reason for me to stay away from her since you wouldn’t be faithful,” Judgement Boy deduced. “Besides… I…”

“Uh, what’s going on here?” Sarah asked, standing in the doorway with the Monoputa File in her hand.

Both Judgement Boy and Cactus Gunman whipped their heads around and their gazes softened at the sight of her. Hell’s Chef, who was sitting on the couch, merely grunted and looked away.

“Not much is happening,” Angel Dog told her sweetly over from where she stood with Roulette Boy. “Roulette Boy is still a bit upset at the death of his friend, but he just needs some TLC!” Angel Dog didn’t seem to mind that Roulette Boy was completely drenching her dress with his tears and snot.

Sarah’s gaze turned to Cactus Gunman and Judgement Boy who took a few steps back from each other and acted like they simply had a friendly chat. Sarah wasn’t convinced it was what they were making it out to be. She’d be keeping an eye on those two when they were together…

“Ah, senorita,” Gunman greeted. “I was just talking to Judgement Boy. But our chat is over now.” Judgement Boy frowned at him as he flew to Sarah’s side and thought him to be very clingy.

“Yes, well, good luck with your investigation, Sarah!” Judgement Boy said cheerfully and shot her an infectious smile.

Sarah couldn’t help but smile back before he went back to Roulette Boy, which made Gunman fume. He regained his cool and grinned.

“So, where do we begin?” He asked eagerly.

Sarah hesitated, then looked down at the file in her hand. “I guess we should examine this. It probably has important information.”

“Ah, si, senorita,” Gunman nodded. “Let us look.”

Sarah opened the file. Within it was compiled information and photos of James’ dead body. Despite the fact he was an annoying brat who wasn’t a very good friend, Sarah couldn’t help but feel a sense of loss when looking at his body once more. The facts on the file stated the basic, yet necessary information that Sarah knew needed to be general knowledge.

She glanced at Gunman then raised her voice. “You all might want to hear this. It says James was killed at midnight, here in the lounge. And Catherine was right when she said it was blunt-force trauma.”

Roulette Boy scowled. “That hardly helps us at all! That Monoputa File is useless, just like you guys! You can’t even figure out who… who killed James!” He burst into another bout of tears and Sarah winced at making the young child cry again.

“Yeah, sorry Sarah, but it looks like Monoputa’s just toying with us,” Judgement Boy shrugged sadly. “It’s mostly telling us things we already knew.”

“Not necessarily!” Angel Dog sang. “That file contains _facts_ which means we know for sure how, when and where James was killed. His body hasn’t been moved this entire time and we can test for alibis during midnight to help us narrow down the culprit!”

“Not everyone will tell the truth,” Hell’s Chef bluntly stated.

“Who cares about alibis! I still don’t understand!” Roulette Boy flailed his arms in frustration.

“Understand what, sweetie?” Angel Dog soothed as she flew closer.

Roulette Boy looked over at her. “It says blunt-force trauma, but that doesn’t make any sense!”

“I will explain it for you, little senor,” Cactus Gunman began. “Blunt-force trauma is-”

“No! I know what _that_ is, you prickly idiot!” Gunman was stunned by the harsh words from such a small child. “I _mean_ he couldn’t have…d-…died… from it because I found this!” He pulled out a sharp, glistening knife and Angel Dog glided a few paces back, covering her mouth in shock.

“Y-you shouldn’t be handling that! You’re too young!” she gasped, her forehead creased with worry.

_A knife?_ Sarah wondered. _What would a knife be doing here? Roulette Boy’s right. This doesn’t add up at all! But that doesn’t look like a regular knife… Is that a steak knife?_

Hell’s Chef stood up immediately. “That’s from my kitchen! Put that back _now!”_

“No,” Angel Dog crossed her arms defiantly. “We wouldn’t be doing our jobs as guards if something was moved from the crime scene back to where it was from. What we should be doing is putting it in the evidence bag.” She brought out hers and opened it up in front of him. “Just pop the knife inside, sweetie! Careful now!”

Roulette Boy waddled up her and loosely swung the knife above his head and brought it down. Angel Dog moved her hand in the nick of time, causing her only get a minor scrape.

“Hey! That was cruel!” She barked at the giggling Roulette Boy. She snatched the knife out of his hand and popped it inside. “I’m not trusting you with any sharp objects from now on. I could have been seriously hurt!”

Roulette Boy chuckled again, skipped over to the couch and sat down. Sarah shuddered a bit. He had been crying a few moments earlier, but nearly stabbing Angel Dog seemed to really lift his mood. What was _wrong_ with this kid?

“Where did you find the knife, Roulette Boy?” Judgement Boy asked.

“Oh, I found it over there,” Roulette Boy swung his legs as he pointed to a spot some distance away from the body on the floor by the arm of the couch.

“Really? There?” Sarah tilted her head. “That’s strangely far from the body.”

Roulette Boy shrugged. “That’s where I found it.”

“Well, did you find anything else?” Judgement Boy asked. “Anything you’ve found that’s out of the ordinary is probably useful.” He finished with an encouraging smile.

Roulette Boy shook his head and everyone looked expectantly at each other. _It seems no one has found anything else,_ Sarah noted. _Well, now that we’ve calmed down, there is something I need to check out…_ Sarah looked around at the walls of the room. There were two picture frames in here, and one was just what she’d been looking for. She walked over to it to check.

_Yes…_ _This has to be it._ There was no mistaking it. This was the picture of the misty forest that had once been in her room. _I had a feeling it would be here. But how does this link with James’ death?_ Sarah took it down and put it in her evidence bag, still wary of it’s capabilities. _I guess I’ll find out sooner or later._

“Hey Gunman,” Sarah called. The cactus perked his head up instantly. “What do you say we check out the kitchen?”

“Ah, si senorita,” Cactus Gunman nodded. “I was just about to suggest that myself.”

“And maybe you two should check out another room,” Angel Dog suggested cheerfully to Judgement Boy. “Hell’s Chef and I have things covered here and it’s a waste of time if you two stay any longer. Plus, I think he should stay away from James’ body for now.” Angel Dog turned to Roulette Boy who seemed downcast again now that the euphoria from Angel Dog’s near miss was passing and he was being left alone.

Judgement Boy agreed, “You’re probably right.” He glided over to Roulette Boy and put one of his stubby little arms on his shoulder. “What do you say we check out that T.V. room? There might be something there.”

Roulette Boy sniffled. “Yeah, okay.” He perked up a little. “Maybe the Wimp Brigade is on! Yay!” He charged off in the direction of the room and Judgement Boy shook his head with a smile.

“Kids,” he muttered, glancing at Sarah and shooting her a grin before racing after the sadistic child. “Hey! Race you there!”

Sarah smiled and started to head out of the room. “Let’s go, Gunman. I don’t know how much time we have left.”

Gunman, busy glaring at the spot Judgement Boy disappeared, snapped back into focus and hurried to catch up to her. Once he matched her pace, he looked over his shoulder and called out. “Adios, my friends!”

“Don’t mess with any of my stuff!” Hell’s Chef yelled after them.

“That’s his way of saying ‘bye, good luck!’” Angel Dog waved as Sarah and Gunman took their leave.

Once the room was clear, Angel Dog and Hell’s Chef went back to guarding James’ cold, dead body.

 

_GHS_

 

“Urgh…” Angel Dog had been guarding James’ body with Hell’s Chef for what seemed like an eternity. “This smell is starting to make me light-headed…”

“I feel fine,” Hell’s Chef was refusing to make eye contact with Angel Dog for fear she’d try to strike up another conversation. Angel Dog went on _forever_ about who would be the best match for each girl when she got bored earlier, and Hell’s Chef was doing his best not to send her off on another tangent.

“We already examined the body… can you go get a sheet or something from a supply closet? We should cover James up… it would be awful if flies started to get all over him…” Angel Dog went pale and she covered her mouth. “Or if Neko Zombie came in here and started to eat him… did you see how he was looking at James earlier? It was just _sickening!_ I hate to point fingers, but do you think he did it?”

“No,” Hell’s Chef shook his head. “If it was him, we would have only found a small trace of James. He’s a cat. He would have completely eaten him. He-”

Angel Dog held up a paw to silence him. “Just… go find a sheet, please. I think there’s some in the supply closet in the hallway with the library.” Angel Dog shooed him away. “Don’t worry about me; I won’t move from this spot!”

Hell’s Chef almost told her to get it herself, but he didn’t really feel like arguing with her. He grudgingly lumbered into the library hallway and grabbed a couple sheets from the closet, white ones. He was looking forward to covering up that corpse. Nothing curbs the appetite like a dead body, and he wanted everyone to eat before the trial. If everyone had empty stomachs, the trial would go horribly, Chef had a feeling. Maybe if he told Angel Dog that she’d let him slip away and cook…

Chef entered the lobby and was about to call out to Angel Dog when he heard an unfamiliar voice. Chef quickly ducked behind the empty desk and peeked over at Angel Dog…

…but she really didn’t look too much like herself.

Her hair had turned purple and so had her fur, and her face was twisted into a sneer as she hovered way too close to James’ body. Instead of her usual wand, she had a pitchfork, which she poked at James’ chest with, leaving tiny little wounds.

“Such a shame!” She said with mock sympathy. “Such a young life, cut down in its prime!” Laughing maliciously, she poked James even harder, in the neck this time, leaving several deep puncture wounds. “Good riddance! You were the most annoying little brat I’ve ever had the displeasure of meeting!”

Hell’s Chef couldn’t sit idly and watch this. He rose to his feet and boomed: “ANGEL DOG!”

The purple, demonic thing that had replaced Angel Dog burst into a loud coughing fit, eventually being overcome in a cloud of smoke. Once it cleared, Angel Dog was floating where the malicious dog had been moments before, which confirmed Hell’s Chef’s suspicion that they were one and the same.

_Did she… do this?_ Hell’s Chef thought as he approached her with the sheets, silently thankful that he kept his face covered and his expression hidden. If she knew he knew about her little secret, especially if she really _was_ the murderer, Hell’s Chef had a feeling he wouldn’t live to see her get executed.

“Oh, you brought the sheets! Great!” Angel Dog tried to giggle brightly, but she was nervously wringing her wand around and her hair was a mess. Hell’s Chef did his best to look nonchalant as he draped the sheets over the body.

“I wonder how everyone’s doing…” Angel Dog changed the subject as soon as Hell’s Chef finished covering up James. “I wonder how these… trials are going to work. Will there be a judge and a jury? Or…”

“I think we play those roles,” Hell’s Chef shrugged. “I don’t think it’ll go well.”

“Don’t say that!” Angel Dog smacked Hell’s Chef on the shoulder with her wand. “I’m sure everyone is more than capable! I’m sure they’ll all come in here to share their findings really soon! We’re going to find that murderer and teach them a thing or two!”

“We’re going to _kill_ him,” Hell’s Chef corrected her.

“Not _us,”_ Angel Dog tsk-tsk’d. “That’s Monoputa’s job! Such a shame this happened… I was hoping we’d get out of here with everyone intact.” She let out a sigh and rested a paw against her cheek. “Maybe no one else will-”

“Don’t,” Hell’s Chef glared at her.

“Hmph,” Angel Dog folded her arms and looked away from Chef, which made him let out a quiet sigh of relief. Maybe she wouldn’t talk to him for the rest of the day…

Now it was a matter of waiting. Chef wondered if they’d actually be able to solve this case, or if everyone would wind up dead.

Only time would tell.


	5. Key Evidence

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Hello, my lovelies! Here’s the second and final part of the investigation! Next time, things get REAL._   
>  _Illustrations this time around are by shortlifelongart and judgementboobgold! Thanks SO much, guys, the art in this story really makes it truly shine ;w;_   
>  _I really hope all of you enjoy this new chapter!_

Sarah and Cactus Gunman entered the kitchen to find Clock Master rooting through the cabinets and Poor Conductor trying to dissuade him.

“You won’t find anything in theeeeere!” Poor Conductor whined, attempting to grab at Clock Master’s shirt. Clock Master swatted him away.

“I’m not looking for clues!” Clock Master slammed the cupboard shut and moved onto the next one. “I’m looking for _booze!_ I can’t do any… investigation when I feel like this! A _kid_ died! I need a drink more than _anything_ right now!” Clock Master began rooting around in the cupboard and Poor Conductor looked at Cactus Gunman and Sarah desperately.

“Tell him to stop fooling around!” Poor Conductor folded his arms and turned up his nose at Clock Master. “We can’t afford to waste time, who knows when Monoputa will show up and tell us it’s time for the…trial…” Just saying the word “trial” got Poor Conductor’s knees knocking. “We can’t afford to fail!”

“We know, senor, calm down!” Cactus Gunman patted Poor Conductor on the shoulder, but it did nothing to help him relax. “Roulette Boy actually found a clue in the lobby… did you notice there was a knife missing?”

“Actually…” Clock Master stopped his booze crusade and pointed to the butcher block on one of the counters. It was _enormous,_ with knives of all shapes and sizes. All of them were perfectly lined up, apart from one, which was completely gone.

“Hijo de puta…” Cactus Gunman bit his lip as he thought. “The knife _was_ from the kitchen… but…”

“…the murderer didn’t use a knife to kill James,” Sarah finished his thought, opening up the Monoputa File and squinting at it.

“Oh, don’t bring out that ghastly thing!” Poor Conductor paled and scattered backwards until his back was against the counter. “Just looking at it makes me want to faint…”

“You don’t have to look at it,” Sarah gave him a flat look.

Clock Master and Cactus Gunman crowded around her as she examined the close-up shots of James’ wounds. Sure, they were disgusting, but Sarah felt she could stomach them better if she didn’t have to smell the blood.

_God, I’m already desensitized…_ Sarah would wrangle with her monstrous new attitude later on. For now, she had a mystery to solve.

“They’re two big bumps, way too big to have been done with a knife handle…” Sarah blew some loose hairs out of her eyes and squinted. “Besides… wouldn’t the killer try to hide the murder weapon? And why not just stab James? I’m really not seeing the knife’s relevance.”

“Could the murderer have planted it there to throw us off their trail?” Clock Master asked, snatching the Monoputa File from Sarah without asking. “I definitely don’t see anything knife-related anywhere in these photos.”

“That’s possible!” Cactus Gunman nodded.

“We can’t write it off just yet, evidence is evidence!” Sarah scolded the two men.

“D-do we have to put this whole thing in the evidence bag?” Poor Conductor eyed the butcher block.

“NOPE!” Monoputa hopped out of nowhere as usual and snapped a photo of it. Poor Conductor screamed so loud he rattled the windows. “Too bulky. Don’t feel like dealing with that crap.”

“Ah, Monoputa, there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you…” Sarah felt strange trying to have a civil conversation with the one who was forcing them to kill each other, but she didn’t want to risk his wrath.

“Shoot,” Monoputa whirled to face her, the grinning half of his face looking like it was ready to split.

“Do _you_ know who killed James?” Sarah figured there was no use beating around the bush.

“…I hadn’t even thought of that…” Clock Master stroked his chin, glaring at the little Prompter. “How do you expect to execute the right person without knowing who the murderer is?”

“Hehe… hehehehehe…” Monoputa burst into a fit of malicious giggles. “Of _course_ I know who killed James! I see _all!_ I’m not gonna tell you, though, cuz that’s not fun! Gotta give the murderer a fighting chance!”

“Wait, that’s-” Before Sarah could get a word in edgewise, Monoputa was gone, tittering all the way.

Sarah let out a cry of frustration and ground her teeth together. “I can’t _believe_ that little bastard!”

“At this point, I’m not surprised…” Clock Master handed the Monoputa File back to Sarah and resumed searching for liquor. “He’s just stringing us along. All the more reason to want to drown my sorrows. Hey, do you three want to join me? Once I find the booze…” Clock Master growled in frustration as he rooted around in the back of the cupboard he was searching through.

“I-I will!” Poor Conductor raised his hand. “I think we found as many clues as we ever will…”

Cactus Gunman looked like he was seriously considering the offer and Sarah elbowed him in the ribs, causing him to let out a ridiculously unmanly squeak.

“Come on, Gunman, let’s go check on your sister,” Sarah put the Monoputa File away and began walking out of the kitchen.

“Your loss!” Clock Master let out a cry of victory as he held the bottle he found up in the air. “Cooking wine! Beggars can’t be choosers!”

“Wuh-wait, Clock Master, that tastes-” Poor Conductor tried to protest, but Cactus Gunman and Sarah were out the door before their argument started.

 

_GHS_

 

“Ahh, _joder!”_ Cactus Girl fought the urge to knock over the bookcases in sheer frustration. “There’s _nothing_ in here!”

“I noticed lots of gaps in the shelves…” Steve stood on his toes so he could peek at Cactus Girl on the other side. He could only see the top of her hat, but it would have to do. _Geez, she’s tiny…_ “Do you think that has something to do with that rumor going around about Monoputa freaking out in the library…?”

“Oh, si!” Cactus Girl’s eyes scanned the shelves and, sure enough, there were quite a few books missing. “My big brother told me that there were books about the people here! One had a title that matched what’s on Judgement Boy’s shirt, and one was called _Gregory Exposed…_ do you think…?”

“There were books for every person here?” Steve moved around the bookshelf and nodded at Cactus Girl. “With this many empty spaces… there was probably more than one book about each person.”

“No wonder Monoputa wanted to keep them from us…” Cactus Girl folded her arms and huffed. “I can’t remember a goddamned thing about before I came here. Ayiyi… maybe the books had what I need to know…”

“You’re right…” Steve’s eyes widened with realization. “Hey… maybe Monoputa missed one! Let’s look for it! There obviously aren’t any clues to the murder in here, but maybe…”

“…there’s clues about where we came from!” Cactus Girl beamed at him. “You’re right!”

Steve’s expression softened and he tilted his head at Cactus Girl. “Huh…”

Cactus Girl’s smile became a frown. “What’s that face for?”

“Why don’t you smile more? It looks nice,” Steve said earnestly, rubbing the back of his neck as he averted his eyes from Cactus Girl.

“I…I-er…” A blush wasted no time at all in spreading across her delicate face. She regained her senses and became even more closed off. “Of course not! Don’t be ridiculous, Steve. If I did, people would think I’m soft; a pushover! I can’t have that. I need to let them know I am strong!”

“What?” Steve was genuinely dumbfounded by her thought process. _“That’s_ ridiculous; you should do it! People smile because they’re happy, and happiness doesn’t make you soft, Cactus Girl. There’s no reason you shouldn’t smile more. Besides…” He looked away and bit his lip. “I think it looks… cute.”

Cactus Girl’s eyes widened immensely and she went even redder than before. “N-NO! I cannot do it! You don’t know what it is like to be a girl in this position! We have to work _much_ harder than boys to prove our strength and not smiling is a sacrifice I am willing to make!”

Steve was crestfallen that his confession didn’t sway her. This just made him even more desperate. “Please, Cactus Girl? I really think you should!”

Sarah and Gunman walked into the library, the former reading her Monoputa File as she walked. Cactus Gunman stopped in the doorway, his eyes narrowing at the scene before him. Sarah took a few extra steps before she sensed Gunman was no longer by her side and looked up too. Steve and Cactus Girl were so intent in their discussion that they didn’t even glance their way.

Cactus Girl covered her tomato coloured cheeks with her hands and looked at the floor. She was finding it increasingly hard to refuse him. “NO!”

“Pleeease?” Steve begged. “I know it’s great and I’m sure the others would agree! Come on, one more time?”

“NO!”

Gunman’s jaw dropped. _It’s great…The others would agree…one more time?!_ “KEEP AWAY FROM MY SEESTER!” He cried, lunging forward and tackling a screaming and extremely confused Steve to the floor.

“What are you doing?!” Steve cried, squirming underneath Gunman. _I don’t want to be murdered! And not right in front of Cactus Girl!_ He shrieked mentally, fear making his thoughts irrational. “Get off me!”

“No! You horrid boy…” Gunman down at Steve with disgust. “You stay away from her! No puedo creer que…”

“Brother! Leave Steve alone!” Cactus Girl wailed, her head in her hands and beyond the far reaches of embarrassment. “It isn’t what you think! Por favor, déjalo en paz!”

Gunman looked over at his wailing sister and realised he had made a terrible mistake. He got up and helped pulled a bewildered Steve to his feet then turned to Cactus Girl. “Seester… I am sorry. I thought it was, er, something else.”

“Great phrasing,” Sarah commented with a smirk. “Are you okay, Cactus Girl?” She glanced over at Steve whose hands shot up defensively.

“It wasn’t what you think it was! I just wanted her to smile!” He assured desperately.

Cactus Girl scanned everyone’s faces as they all turned to look at her for confirmation. Everyone’s gazes on her just made her even more embarrassed and she knew the feeling wouldn’t die down for a while. She tried her best to hide it under a cold outlook. “Ah, si. That was all it was. I am fine now, but I just wish you’d taken no for an answer.”

Her icy gaze was aimed at Steve who slumped his shoulders and muttered almost inaudibly “But it really is nice…”

Cactus Girl huffed, her cheeks reddening even more, and Sarah instantly felt the need to change the subject. “Did you find any evidence here?”

“No, not one piece,” Steve reported, a little ashamed. “But we’ll check for any left over books from Monoputa’s library fiasco. Er, if that’s okay.”

Sarah sighed. They may not have found anything for the case, but any remaining books could be useful to finding out their origins. She concluded it was a worthwhile cause and gave them permission.

“You treat my sister well, senor, understand?” Gunman looked straight at Steve. He was very touchy about him hanging out with his sister which melted any fear he would normally feel.

“O-of course!” Steve’s voice went high. “I won’t do anything to her.”

Gunman nodded, accepting his fear as assurance that he would keep his word. “If there is nothing here, we should be moving. Come, senorita, let us go check up on Gregory and his comrades.”

Sarah smiled, happy that Gunman took charge for once. _Perhaps he’s just doing it to look tough for his sister?_ Sarah shrugged off the thought. “Good idea. Good luck you two!” She called before heading out the door.

“Yes, adios, seester,” Gunman did his danged best to look cool for his exit. “I wish you both luck. And if he acts up, do not be afraid to defend yourself.”

Steve frowned. “Hey!”

“I won’t,” Cactus Girl assured him. Although, she felt she could never bring herself to hit Steve. “Good luck, brother.”

 

_GHS_

 

“Gold? Are you in there?” Mummy Papa called out at his door. After a pause of empty silence and a sigh from Gregory, he frowned. “Maybe he’s gone deaf…” Mummy Papa pondered this.

“Or maybe he’s lost his mind,” Gregory chuckled darkly. “That fool might look intimidating, but he has the heart of a coward.”

“Either way…” Mummy Papa swallowed a yawn. “We need to check in there. Gold _has_ been acting suspicious, he could be hiding important evidence. Do you think the door is locked?”

“It’s possible,” Neko Zombie said in a quiet, authoritative tone. “He was scared for his safety. Fear can make even the most rational people do strange things…”

“Hey guys, any luck?” Sarah called as she and Gunman approached.

The group spun around to face them and Gregory narrowed his eyes. Neko Zombie just looked at her with mild curiosity and Mummy Papa was looking in her direction but didn’t seem to be focusing on her.

“We did find one thing…” Gregory muttered suspiciously, glaring at Sarah.

“Sarah…can you perhaps tell us why your painting is missing?” Neko Zombie breathed.

“Oh, that?” Sarah chuckled uncomfortably as everyone’s eyes were trained on her.

“Do you mean to accuse Sarah?” Gunman frowned. “Such a lovely senorita would never kill _anyone!”_

Sarah turned a bit red at his ready defense. “Don’t worry, Gunman. I can explain it.” She looked at Gregory with confidence. “I took the painting down because it was evidence. It was smeared in blood for some reason and I intend to bring it up at the trial. One thing’s for sure: the blood wasn’t my doing.”

Gregory looked away. “A likely story, playing innocent. We’ll see who really is innocent at the trial…” He chuckled darkly.

Sarah blinked. _He… thinks I did it? But I was with Neko Zombie the whole time. This can wait. I’ll have to prove that later._

“Hey…” Mummy Papa said slowly, looking at Gold’s door. “Gold likes music, doesn’t he?”

Gunman nodded. “Yes, senor. But what is your point?”

“Maybe… If we knock in a musical rhythm, he’ll come out.” Mummy Papa suggested.

Sarah frowned. “I’m not sure that’d work. He may be hiding evidence, but he’d be-”

Mummy Papa knocked on the door in a musical tune that Sarah had to admit was quite catchy. Much to her surprise, the door swung open violently revealing Gold with a relieved, eager expression.

“Judgement Boy?!” He cried happily. His smile evaporated leaving him with a fearful look. “NOT JUDGEMENT BOY!” He slammed the door as quickly as he’d opened it.

“I told you…” Neko Zombie muttered. “Fear makes even the most rational people act strangely…”

Gregory fumed. “I’m sick of beating around the bush! I want to know who killed my grandson! Now!” He stormed forward and grabbed the handle of Gold’s door.

“I-I am not sure that is a good idea,” Gunman stammered. “Beacuse fear can make people quite dangerous, perhaps we’d better leave him alone, yes?”

Normally, the Judgement Boys were fine to be around, but Gold in hysterics with fear sent Gunman’s knees knocking. Who knows what he’d be capable of? A whirlwind of chaotic scenarios entered Gunman’s mind, making the situation even worse.

“No!” Gregory yelled in response. He shoved the door open with such strength it hit the wall and bounced back off, rattling with the motion.

“AAAIIIEEE!” Gold shrieked, his back to the golden wall opposite the door. “DON’T KILL ME!”

Sarah pushed her way to the front, past the raging grandpa, and held up her hands next to her head. “Relax, relax. We’re not here to kill you. We both know James died and we need answers.”

_Oh dios mio,_ Gunman thought, bewildered by Sarah’s courage. _She isn’t afraid to face him?_ A big smile of affection and admiration crept onto his face.

“That’s right, tell us what you know!” Gregory called out from behind Sarah. “What happened to my grandson?!”

Gold whimpered and screwed his eyes shut, his stubby metal arms frantically smacking the wall repeatedly in an attempt to break it down and and back up even further.

“You’ll never get anything out of him that way…” Neko Zombie pointed out in his usual calm, quiet demeanor. “Sarah’s was the more…reasonable approach.”

Sarah smirked at Gregory over her shoulder and walked a few paces forward, holding out her hand to Gold in what she hoped was a calming gesture, as if he were a stray cat she was trying to befriend. “Gold, trust me, no one wants to hurt you. We just need to find James’ killer and to do that we need your help. I’m sorry if we scared you before but we didn’t think there was any way you’d let us in.”

Gold seemed to have visibly calmed down somewhat and was now just slumped against the gleaming wall, still breathing heavily. _Why can’t everyone just be calm and focused? This just takes up extra time when he could have told us what he knows already._ She clenched her skirt in her hands to vent the frustration and sighed inwardly. _But I guess it is worth it in the end._

“So… can you please cooperate? I’m sure Judgement Boy would want you to,” Sarah hated pulling that card and wished he could draw the strength from himself but it seemed like the only option.

Gold straightened himself up and shot everyone a smug smile. “I’ll do my best. But you’re lucky to have me helping you out. It’s easy for someone with judgement skills like mine to single out the guilty ones.” He put his hands on his hips and threw his head back in confidence.

Sarah nodded. _That could come in handy._ _Helping him out really was worth it._

“So what were you doing before my grandson died?!” Gregory pointed an accusing finger at Gold. “It was you, wasn’t it?! You killed him!”

“EHHH?!” Gold looked extremely surprised. “ME?! Of course not! All Judgement Boys have reputations as unbiased judges. Me most of all! Bringing fate into our own hands would never happen! Besides, before that, Judgement Boy and I were asleep in this very room. Neither of us left at all.”

“Oh,” Gregory blinked in surprise. “I didn’t know you two were…” He waggled his eyebrows. “Like _that~_ ” he sang.

“Not that there is anything wrong with that, of course!” Gunman quickly jumped in.

Gold’s jaw dropped. “Good heavens, NO! EWW! NO! Not at ALL! Just, before, when I was… In a dramatic state of crisis, as even the best of people can be, I needed some company.” He frowned and folded his arms. “So don’t get any ideas.”

Mummy Papa blinked slowly. “Ohhh… Like thaaaat… That didn’t even cross my mind.”

“Clearly it just did…” Sarah commented.

_So he and Judgement Boy were asleep in this room the whole time? I’ll have to take note of that. It could come in handy._ She sighed in relief that she could cross those two off the list of possible murderers.

“I bet they still cuddled,” Gunman whispered to Sarah, snickering a bit. Sarah elbowed him again and he winced, biting a squeak in two.

Despite Gold’s alibi, Sarah couldn’t help subtly looking around his room. God, everything was gleaming and glittering with gold… she couldn’t see how anyone could relax in here. This room must have cost hundreds of thousands to build. How could Monoputa afford that…?

Over Gold’s bed, instead of the usual dreary painting that decorated most of the rooms, was a headshot of Judgement Boy Gold himself, smiling with a hand on his chin. Sarah almost wanted to laugh but she thought it would be best if she didn’t.

She didn’t see anything out of place, but she did notice an open book on Gold’s bed. _Looks like Judgement Boy found something for his mentor after all…_ Sarah couldn’t help smiling at that. Judgement Boy really was a devoted student.

Sarah was broken out of her fog by Cactus Gunman asking Judgement Boy Gold if he had seen or heard anything unusual.

“Nope,” Gold shook his shiny head. “I didn’t get _any_ sleep the past couple days, so I was out like a light. Judgement Boy told me this morning that he was worried I died.”

“What about you, Gregory? Did you see James before… you know?” Sarah decided to jump in. Gregory squinted at her, obviously still suspicious about the painting thing. Sarah figured that couldn’t be helped…

“I visited him in his room to check on him before I turned in myself,” Gregory folded his arms, looking thoughtful. “I told him not to wander off or do anything stupid. I should have known he wouldn’t listen to his grandpa…”

“Yeah, when you think about it…” Mummy Papa winced and held his head. “James never listened to you. Even I’m not surprised he ignored you…”

_And if he notices it, it has to be obvious,_ Sarah thought. Neko Zombie looked at Mummy Papa with a suspicious eye.

“So… What were _you_ doing before the time of James’ death?” Neko Zombie meowed softly.

“I was sound asleep in my room,” Mummy Papa concluded after some thought. “It was hard for me at first; this headache can be quite bothersome. And the stress of the situation… That can’t be good for my health either. But after a while, I fell asleep. I tend to be a very deep sleeper too.” His thoughts trailed off as he looked into the distance. “Maybe the library has a book on illnesses… It could come in handy.”

Sarah grinned at Neko Zombie. Someone else helping her along with finding clues was something she really appreciated rather than her just doing most of the work. Suddenly, slow, heavy footsteps echoed from the hallway. Gunman quivered. In this lighthearted atmosphere, he had been off guard and felt among friends. Now, with the addition of unknown footsteps, he no longer felt so safe.

“Wh-who do you think that could be?” He asked nervously.

“Relax, I’m sure it’s no one dangerous,” Sarah convincingly. “I’ll check it out.”

“Senorita! No!” He hissed, his hand groping uselessly at the air in front of him in an attempt to draw Sarah back. “It could be the murderer!”

“Well, if it is, there is one less person to worry about,” Gregory chuckled, still upset about the painting thing.

Sarah scowled at him over her shoulder and peered through the open doorway. Catherine and Gregory Mama were wandering the hall, the former with something red in her right hand. Upon spotting Sarah, they proceeded to make their way over, Catherine calling out a friendly greeting.

Sarah waved back and looked over her shoulder. “Come on guys, I think Catherine and Gregory Mama found something.”

Everyone quickly filed out of Gold’s room and into the hall. Gregory flinched a little as his mother’s cold gaze came to rest on him. Clearly she still blamed him for James’ death but was being true to her word.

“You guys won’t _believe_ this,” Catherine began. “But we found this in a closet in the male bathrooms.”

She extended her arm to show everyone what she was holding. It was a red rag that reeked a metallicy odour. Gregory Mama looked particularly smug upon finding the evidence.

“Did _you_ find anything, Gregory?” She asked her son.

Gregory gulped. “N-no mama… I didn’t.”

“Hmf, I suspected as much,” Gregory Mama lifted her nose. “You can’t do anything right, even find evidence of your grandson’s killer!”

Gunman cut in awkwardly. “Eheh… So, it’s a red washcloth? How does that help?”

Catherine sighed. “Can’t you smell it? Or maybe I just have a nose for this.”

“It’s not just you,” Gregory Mama said stiffly. _“I_ can smell it too.”

“I can’t smell it…” Mummy Papa murmured slowly. “Maybe I am getting the flu.”

“Well I can smell it. It’s blood… isn’t it?” Neko Zombie’s keen nose led him on the right path. “That washcloth… It wasn’t red before, correct?”

“Definitely,” Catherine flipped it over to reveal a few white spots on the underside.

“But what was it used for?” Sarah asked, leaning forward to examine it. “Obviously it wasn’t to clean up the blood on the floor…”

Being reminded of his grandson’s state made Gregory sniffle a bit. Sarah regretted upsetting the old rat, but they had to solve this case!

After a few moments of silence, Gregory Mama’s face lit up. “I’ve got it!”

Everyone looked at her expectantly and she smoothed her hair before talking, happy to have so much attention on her.

“Maybe this was used to clean the blood off of the murderer…? His hands, his face… he wanted to make sure there wasn’t a single trace left on him!” Gregory Mama’s nose wrinkled at the thought of getting blood on her own face. “It’s what I’d do. Not that I’d kill so messily…”

“Mama… don’t say things like that…” Gregory squeaked, which earned him a glare from his mother.

“She has a point…” Gunman nodded sagely. “Gregory Mama… you’ll be willing to repeat that at the trial, yes?”

“If I must,” Gregory Mama shrugged.

“Yes, you must,” Catherine huffed as she put the washcloth in the evidence bag. “Every little piece of information we have is vital. Do you guys have any suspicions yet?”

Sarah felt a chill run down her spine when Gregory looked right at her and opened his mouth.

Luckily, before he could say anything, Neko Zombie interrupted. “I don’t think it would do us any good to start pointing fingers now. Let’s wait until the trial, when we have all our information at our fingertips.”

“I agree,” Mummy Papa slowly nodded. “I think we should take things slow.”

Gregory folded his arms and grumbled something inaudible.

A few moments later, Monoputa’s distinctive voice rang out over the intercom.

“Everyone come meet me in the lobby~” he sang. “I have some vital information for yooooou~ And you better get here soon, or I’m gonna serve your asses on a platter!” His last sentence was positively scathing.

“Guess we have to go see what _he_ wants…” Gregory put his evidence bag over his shoulder.

Judgement Boy Gold poked his face out of his room. “Ugh, must we? I hate that thing. I’m used to Prompters _listening_ to me, not telling me what to do!”

“Ooh, I’ll walk with you!” Catherine pushed everyone aside so she could take Judgement Boy Gold’s arm. “We’ll all be together; Monoputa won’t single you out!”

“Thank you, Catherine, right?” Gold shot her a million dollar smile and Catherine swooned.

“It’s my _pleasure…”_ Catherine and Gold headed towards the lobby, happily chatting despite the fact that the meeting wasn’t something to look forward to.

“We better follow them…” Sarah began heading down the hall, Gunman hot on her heels. Slowly, everyone else joined them, Mummy Papa lagging behind.

They knew that whatever Monoputa wanted to show them couldn’t be good.

 

_GHS_

 

“About time you got here, Latey McLaterson,” Monoputa glared daggers at Mummy Papa when he finally entered the room. “I was about to make the announcement without you!”

Monoputa was sitting on the arm of one of the couches, hugging a bunch of neatly stacked papers.

“Is that _another_ motive?” Angel Dog glared daggers at Monoputa. “We’re not even done with this murder case yet, and you expect us to-”

“Calm down!” Monoputa barked at her. “This isn’t a motive! It’s the seating arrangements for the trial room! Uh, standing arrangements, rather. You need these to know where you’ve gotta be!”

Monoputa hopped off the couch and bounced off of James’ covered dead body, which made Gregory scream.

“How DARE you!” Gregory rolled up his sleeves and took a step to go after Monoputa, but his mother grabbed him by the back of his shirt.

“Do you _want_ to die, Gregory?” she hissed through clenched teeth.

Gregory hunched over in defeat. For once, he agreed with his mother. This was a battle he shouldn’t fight.

“After I hand these out, proceed straight to the elevator that leads to the trial room, located in the hall with the lounge and library! And I know you’ll just love these. You’re sure to get a kick outta them!” Monoputa walked around the room handing out one slip of paper to each person. When he reached Poor Conductor, he paused in front of him, which made the record player scowl.

“Whaaaat?” He droned. “Just give it to me already.”

Monoputa giggled and then did as he asked. “Have fun!” He continued handing out the papers.

Poor Conductor studied the slip of paper. On it was a big oval with Monoputa’s face grinning with excitement in the centre. Around the outskirts of the oval, everyone’s names were listed. He looked at the names. Frowning, he studied them again. And again.

“Oh! Oh oh! Oh my!” Poor Conductor leaned back dramatically, a hand on his forehead. “I cannot _believe_ this!”

Monoputa’s hands were over his mouth, like he was trying desperately not to laugh. Everyone else who had studied the paper was either acting like Monoputa or looking at Poor Conductor with sympathy; minus Hell’s Chef, who looked like he was about to blow a fuse, Gunman, who was scowling at his paper, and Angel Dog, who was trying to calm the fuming chef.

“Monoputa, I do not understand!” Poor Conductor exclaimed. “Everyone else has been given a name, but I… I have been listed as ‘Whoever that guy is’!”

The devious prompter himself could no longer contain the barrel of laughs he was suppressing and collapsed on the floor, his loud, giggly laughter echoing throughout the room.

“Ohhh… Y-you don’t care?” Poor Conductor was crestfallen that _he_ with such _talent_ would be listed as such.

“Of course not!” Monoputa exclaimed in between giggles. “I did it on purpose! And you’re not the only one with a hilarious title.”

Hell’s Chef was crumpling his paper with his bare hands. He didn’t want to so much as look at it anymore. “NNNNGH! HOW DARE YOU!” he raged, his eyes squeezed shut.

“Now, now. You’re not the worst off.” Angel Dog soothed, placing her hands on Hell’s Chef’s shoulders. “And you make excellent meals. Don’t listen to Monoputa; you’re totally not 'The worst chef ever’. Now deep breaths!”

Gregory watched Hell’s Chef attempt to regulate his anger through hyperventilation, then looked back to his own paper. He had been listed as just 'Gregory’, which he was thankful for, but James also had a spot on the rim of the oval. Gregory scowled at his grandson’s title on the paper. It read 'James, but he’s dead dead dead!’ and next to it was a little cartoon of James’ dead, bloodied face. Gregory wasn’t going to forgive Monoputa for this…

One person in the room seemed to be embracing his strange title. Clock Master let out a deep bellowing laugh. “'Beer Master’! Haha! I couldn’t have asked for a better one!”

“See? _He_ likes it!” Monoputa pointed to Clock Master. “At least one of you bastards appreciates a good sense of humour!” He laughed once more. “Now, to the elevator with you all! Go!”

Gunman still wasn’t pleased with how he was listed. “But, why is there a frowning face next to my na-”

“I SAID GO!” Monoputa screeched in Cactus Gunman’s face.

Instantly everyone made a huge effort to get to the hall, most of all Cactus Gunman. Caught off guard by the screech to his face, all bravery and composure went out the window and he turned on the spot and barrelled into Poor Conductor. Both of them were knocked to the floor and all the bullets from Gunman’s bandolier scattered across the carpet.

“Oh, Gunman, are you okay?” Sarah asked, worried for her new friend.

Poor Conductor looked down sadly. “Oh… No worry for me?”

“Do not worry, senorita,” Gunman insisted, ignoring him. “I am fine. Go on ahead without me.”

“Are you sure?” She confirmed. “I could he-”

“Sarah! Let’s go!” Judgement Boy called from the doorway.

Sarah looked to see who called her. Upon seeing Judgement Boy, her face broke into a wide grin.

“Coming!” Sarah looked back at Gunman. “I’ll see you in the elevator, alright?”

She ran up to Judgement Boy who put his shiny, lean arm around her and led her away. Gunman gritted his teeth and picked up a few bullets.

“My, you sure have some competition,” Poor Conductor muttered, repressing tears. “Do you really know much about Sarah? Or are your feelings only because of her beauty?”

Gunman’s head swiveled around and he glared at him. “Shut up. I do not need your input, senor. I bet you’ve never felt the dazzling touch of a woman in your life!”

Poor Conductor sniffled. “I see how it is…” He picked himself up off the floor. “You may _not_ have the divine pleasure of hearing my next song!” Poor Conductor huffed and went off to the elevator.

Gunman scowled and muttered to himself. “Well, perhaps I did not want to hear it anyway…”

He picked up all the bullets he could see and frowned to himself. He was still missing a few.

“Hey! Slowpoke! Did you not get the message?” Monoputa asked frustratedly. “To the _elevator. Now.”_

“Uh, just one moment, senor,” Gunman insisted. He pondered where the bullets might be. In a flash of inspiration, he looked under the couch. His jaw hit the floor. “Muh-Monoputa… What is this?”

Gunman pulled out an object from under the couch. Monoputa’s eyes goggled.

“You’re lucky you found that now…” He put a threatening fist in front of Gunman’s face. “But bring this up towards the end of the trial or else! Understand?!” He grinned. “I want to drag this out as much as I can…and if you don’t listen to my orders…” Monoputa made a throat slashing motion. “You won’t walk out of the courtroom.”

Gunman gulped, nodding and putting what he found in the evidence bag. He hurriedly collected his remaining bullets and swiftly made his way to the elevator, attaching them to his bandolier as he went. Monoputa watched him with a careful eye and shadowed his footsteps. Once in the surprisingly spacious elevator, Monoputa’s threatening air disappeared.

“We all here? Then let’s go!” Monoputa pulled the lever and the elevator began to move down.

Sarah put her arm around Judgement Boy and he looked at her with a mix of affection and sadness. _I wonder which part of the trial is making him sad. It’s such a sad process in general._

“I don’t want anyone else to die…” He whispered.

Sarah couldn’t help but smile at his 'good intuitions’ as the elevator ground to a halt. “We’ll find the murderer. All of us, together.” The door of the elevator slid open, revealing the large courtroom. “Good luck,” Sarah whispered before she stood on her toes and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

Judgement Boy’s face went even redder and he looked away, accidentally locking eyes with his master. Gold smirked and waggled his eyebrows at him. In the corner, Gunman kicked the wall in anger. He hated seeing Sarah in his arms, much less seeing _that._

Everyone filed into the courtroom, towards their assigned seats. Sarah gripped onto the podium in front of her, a look of determination on her face. _This is it… if we don’t figure out who the murderer is, all of us are done for._

Everyone was standing behind podiums in a circle, each one a sober brown color. The courtroom was painted in a similar way; nothing too extraordinary, but the room was lit by ceiling lights rather than candles. Outside of the circle was a giant throne that overlooked the entire courtroom. Judging by its black and white color, it belonged to Monoputa. On either side of the throne were bonsai trees, which made Sarah raise an eyebrow. They seemed kind of out of place…this wasn’t meant to be a soothing environment.

Sarah’s eyes scanned everyone’s faces. Most of them looked nervous, but Gold and Gregory were looking awfully confident. Roulette Boy, who had unmanned podiums on both sides of him, was standing on a stepstool, wiping away his tears.

_Can we survive in this condition…?_ Sarah wondered, biting her lip. She looked to her left at Judgement Boy, who mouthed _“Hang in there.”_

Sarah shot him a brief smile and looked straight ahead, ready to take on this trial.

Sure, they’d be leaving the courtroom short one person if they succeeded, but the hotel would be a safer place. Maybe… just maybe, they’d be able to get out once they got this over with.

“It’s time!” Monoputa hopped up on a throne and slammed a gavel down, making a loud noise that echoed throughout the room.

_**COURT IS NOW IN SESSION!** _


	6. The Trial Commences

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _FINALLY._   
>  _Ven’s been away for a while, so I’m going to give you part one of the trial to tide you over until she returns! It should be only a couple days, lucky you!_   
>  _Part 2 will be WAAAAAAY longer as well, but hopefully you’ll enjoy what we have so far here! <3_   
>  _Illustrations are by shortlifelongart~_

“As all of you know…” Monoputa folded his hands under his chin, grinning at the circle of nervous people. “…James is _extremely_ dead! Had his skull smashed in not once, but twice! We’re here to figure out who did this! I’ll explain the rules really quick, and you idiots better listen closely!”

Monoputa leapt to his feet and pumped a fist in the air. “In this trial, you all need to debate amongst yourselves and figure out who the culprit is through the use of all the lovely evidence you collected!” Monoputa pulled the red washcloth out to use as an example, waving it in the air like a flag. “If you can figure out who did it, then they and they alone will be executed! If not… the rest of you are the ones who get executed, and the murderer is a free bird!” Monoputa plonked back down on his throne and his gaze swept over everyone like a prison spotlight, his smile growing wider with every moment. “Get it?”

“Got it…” Hell’s Chef was the only one to speak up.

“Good,” Monoputa lounged back in his chair, straightening his hat. “Let’s get this show on the road!”

“Actually, uh, I have a question!” Steve’s arm shot up into the air.

“Yesssss?” Monoputa fidgeted, a look of annoyance on his face.

“How do we know… the murderer was one of us?” Steve couldn’t make eye contact with Monoputa, he fiddled his fingers together and instead opted to stare at the wall. “I can’t imagine anyone here killing someone else, let alone a child…”

“Hey, he’s right!” Catherine glowered right at Monoputa, slamming a fist on her podium. “How do we know this isn’t all a trick? You’re getting us all worked up over a murder so we wouldn’t come up with the idea that this trial was _rigged!”_

“You just want to kill _all_ of us, don’t you?” Judgement Boy squinted at Monoputa. “I should have seen this coming!”

The trial erupted into loud chattering and sounds of agreement. Monoputa’s face turned red and he jumped to his feet.

“SHUT UUUUUUUUUUUUPPPPPPPPPP!” he screeched so loudly that Gregory Mama’s ears popped. “The murderer IS one of you! I wouldn’t lie about _that!_ It’d be soooo boring if I just killed all of you right now, after all!” Puffing out his cheeks, Monoputa sat back down and folded his little arms tightly. “Just… start with the trial already! No more dumb questions!” Monoputa shot Steve a Look and banged his gavel again.

“I think we should start with the body’s location!” Angel Dog piped up right away, raising her wand in the air to get everyone’s attention. “Maybe we can draw some clues from _that_ if we brainstorm!”

“Good idea,” Cactus Girl nodded in approval. “The body was in the lobby… out in the open, which is really strange.”

“There weren’t any blood trails either…” Sarah twirled a strand of hair around her finger as she thought. “…so it wasn’t moved.”

“It was left where _anyone_ could find it…” Mummy Papa drawled.

“Do you suppose the murderer… panicked?” Poor Conductor offered his thoughts.

“Panicked? How so, senor?” Cactus Gunman asked, leaning forward with interest.

“They acted on impulse and felt _remorse!”_ A spotlight fell on Poor Conductor as his eyes became intense.

“Okay, seriously, how does he do that? I can’t even do that…” Monoputa grumbled, leaning his cheek on an open palm and pouting.

A tear fell from Poor Conductor’s eye as he went on. “The murderer got _so_ caught up in the moment, thinking that James would be an easy target! But, once the deed was done, they were filled with deep despair and fled the scene! They locked themselves in their room, resigning themselves to death, crying and thinking of all the friendships that could have bloomed, all the loves left unloved, all that they didn’t-”

“Okay, if I have to listen to him talk for one more second I’m going to lose my mind,” Judgement Boy Gold interrupted, which made Poor Conductor gasp. The spotlight switched off and the room returned to its original brightness. “We need to stop beating around the bush and use the skills that we have at our disposal!”

“What do you mean?” Steve asked, touching a finger to his chin.

“I’m going to give every single person in here a Golden Judgement™!” Judgement Boy Gold held up the arm with the heart cage attached to it. “That’ll single out who’s guilty in no time! Better get spare hearts and dollar signs ready, Monoputa! That’s an _order!”_

“You’re not the boss of me,” Monoputa stated plainly.

“Ex- _cuse_ me?” Judgement Boy Gold planted his hands on his hips.

“You heard me,” Monoputa gave Gold a smug smile. “ _My_ boss is _way_ cooler than you. Smarter, too!”

“Damn…” Judgement Boy Gold’s brow creased with worry. “They must be _really_ shiny…”

“You bet your lack of ass,” Monoputa’s smirk widened. “Oh, and by the way, don’t even _think_ about doing your judgements in my courtroom. That’s cheating!”

“Ch-cheating?” Judgement Boy Gold lurched, his eyes wide. “How _dare_ you accuse me of being a cheater! I simply want to use my skills for the greater-”

“Gold, you shouldn’t fight this battle!” Judgement Boy yelled over his mentor’s protests. “We’ve got sixteen people here! We’ll figure it out without judging anyone!”

“If I catch you peekin’ into anyone’s mind, I’m gonna scrape all the gold right of of you,” Monoputa’s tone darkened and Judgement Boy Gold shrunk back.

“YESSIR!” Gold exclaimed with a stiff salute. He had no choice but to admit defeat.

_So much for him being an asset…_ Sarah couldn’t help letting out a sigh. She should have known things wouldn’t be that easy, especially with Monoputa running the show.

“Anyway~” Angel Dog broke the silence that had taken over the courtroom after Monoputa and Judgement Boy Gold’s argument. “I think we should get back to the body. We’ve already established that the murderer panicked and ran, but… why kill James in the first place?”

“Yeah,” Roulette Boy sniffled and looked down. “No one had a reason to kill him, did they?”

“Well, I hate to admit it,” Gregory sighed. “But James did tend to overstep boundaries. Perhaps he got on someone’s nerves and they snapped…”

“Everyone’s been really on edge…” Catherine admitted, shaking her head. “I wouldn’t be surprised if something like that _did_ happen…”

“But… killing someone because they bugged you?” Clock Master scrunched up his face as he thought, tugging on his bowtie. “I think that’s a bit much.”

“We have to keep in mind that anything’s possible,” Sarah admitted with a sigh. “Maybe James played a prank and startled the person who killed him?”

“Perhaps the prank involved the knife we found at the scene!” Judgement Boy declared. “Did he injure anyone?”

“What’s with these children and playing with knives…?” Angel Dog shook her head disapprovingly. Kids just weren’t raised right these days.

“James pulled my tail for no reason multiple times,” Neko Zombie admitted, a slight scowl on his stitched up face. “I can definitely see him choosing to do something more malicious.”

“And how would _you_ know that?” Gregory Mama leaned forward, giving Neko Zombie a suspicious look.

“I just-” Neko Zombie’s brows rose upward, but Gregory was quick to jump on his mother’s accusation.

“You’re a _cat,_ aren’t you?” Gregory pointed a bony finger at Neko Zombie, who blinked at Gregory in disbelief.

“My name is _Neko_ Zombie,” Neko Zombie folded his arms.

“Cats _eat_ rats! I’m sure you just wanted a midnight snack and went after the most vulnerable rat you saw!” Gregory was smirking now, sure that he had Neko Zombie cornered. “I’ve seen you eat. I know how _ravenous_ you can get.”

“It’s true,” Hell’s Chef cut in. “He was the only one who ate my first meal.”

Neko Zombie couldn’t believe his ears. In spite of everything, he let out a chuckle. “Do you even know the first thing about how cats hunt? I haven’t been in touch with my instincts in a while, but if I killed James, there’d be barely any trace left of him. You’d probably find one of his body parts in Cactus Gunman’s boot or something.” Neko Zombie meowed, emphasizing his point.

Gunman let out a little “eep” and shuddered at the thought.

“So that proves it,” Sarah used Neko Zombie’s input. “Neko Zombie didn’t hunt James down.” She narrowed her eyes at Gregory, eager to defend the cat. “Besides, Neko Zombie has an alibi. He was with me.”

“In the middle of the night?” Mummy Papa gave Sarah a suspicious look.

“We both had insomnia,” Sarah nodded, her determined expression not faltering the slightest bit. “I heard him meowing, so I went to check on him. We ended up talking. He’s the one who smelled James’ blood, even. He’s innocent. He just _discovered_ the body, he didn’t commit the murder.”

“If he didn’t, which one of you did?” Roulette Boy glared at every soul in the room as if his gaze could single out the murderer of his best friend.

“Perhaps more clues lie with the knife,” Cactus Girl offered. “Where did it come from?”

“I discovered it in the kitchen,” Clock Master looked proud of himself, having contributed something despite his frantic search for liquor. “It used to be on the butcher block; one of the knives from it was missing.”

“Heeeey,” Poor Conductor whined. “I was there tooo!” He elongated the vowel for emphasis.

“That was _my_ butcher block,” Hell’s Chef folded his arms. “You did not get my permission to go rooting around my kitchen.”

“To be fair, senor,” Gunman piped up, a little nervous at confronting the intimidating chef. “We needed to investigate everywhere to find his killer.”

“Well, it wouldn’t hurt to ask him. He is _very_ touchy about his _possessions_.” Catherine looked at Hell’s Chef suggestively.

“Did you expect us to leave our duties? We were _supposed_ to investigate the kitchen,” Clock Master frowned at her. “He was in the lobby, guarding the body. It wasn’t like we could leave to ask him to poke around in every little thing in his territory.” _Besides, he’s terrifying._ Clock Master ached to add.

“Speaking of which, did you two see anything weird at James’ body?” Sarah inquired, eager to change the subject before Hell’s Chef blew a gasket.

“Yes. I did.” Hell’s Chef stated bluntly.

“We did?” Angel Dog seemed genuinely surprised.

He leaned forward, peering past Steve and Cactus Girl to look straight at her. “I saw you do…a thing.”

“A…thing?” Angel Dog tilted her head. “I’m sorry, but you’re going to have to be more descriptive than that.”

“You know,” Hell’s Chef floundered around for the words. “A thing!”

“Riveting!” Judgement Boy Gold exclaimed sarcastically.

That pushed Hell’s Chef over the edge. His eyes squeezed shut and he clenched his fists. “A THING!” He made a noise like an angry cow giving birth causing him to get quite a few looks. “YOU TURNED PURPLE AND MEAN!”

“O-oh…” Angel Dog’s nose turned completely white and she smoothed her dress. “D-did you take your medicine today, Hell’s Chef?”

“I don’t _take_ medicine!” Hell’s Chef was clearly exasperated.

“Well…” Angel Dog grumbled, looking away from Chef. “That explains an… awful lot…”

“Are you all right, senorita?” Cactus Gunman looked up at Angel Dog, his brow furrowing in concern.

“Yeah, you look really pale. I can see it from here…” Mummy Papa drawled, looking Angel Dog up and down.

“I-I’m… fine! Just fine!” Angel Dog’s voice cracked and she made a big show out of clearing her throat. “Can we move on, please? Let’s not encourage Hell’s Chef’s delusions.” She gave the courtroom her sweetest smile, but Hell’s Chef wasn’t ready to move on.

“I know what I saw,” he growled, glaring at Angel Dog. “Not to mention you did damage to the body.”

“The body _was_ damaged!” Monoputa held up a new photo. It was a close up of James’ neck, which was now sporting several holes. “Explain _this,_ Angel Dog!”

“Hehehehe…” Angel Dog’s usually bubbly giggle became nervous. “Heh…heh…HAHAHAHAHA!” She threw her head back, her laugh becoming downright insane.

“DIOS MIO!” Cactus Gunman ducked under his podium, shaking like a leaf.

“What’s going on?!” Cactus Girl didn’t opt to hide, but she visibly flinched.

 

Suddenly, Angel Dog was consumed by a cloud of smoke. When it cleared, a purple-clad, pitchfork toting dog was in her place. Judging by the rainbow eyes, they were definitely one and the same.

“What.” Judgement Boy wondered if he needed new glasses.

“See? See? I’m not crazy!” Hell’s Chef gestured to the now twisted Angel Dog like a game show host.

“Nice to _finally_ meet you all!” The purple dog snickered wickedly. Unlike Angel Dog’s voice, her voice dripped with malice and mockery. “I’m Devil Dog! I spend my time hiding inside of that _idiot_ Angel Dog! I can’t _stand_ her, so I try to come out and play once in a while!”

“Devil Dog?” Gregory Mama echoed, looking her up and down. Another woman meant more competition with her in the looks department. She _had_ to size her up. “Well you’ve got a menacing look down… but you simply don’t look as desirable as me.”

Gregory fidgeted uncomfortably. “Mama, really-”

“You kiddin’ me, lady?” Devil Dog cracked up. “I’d like to see _you_ pull off a dress this short! Unlike you, I’ve got legs for days!”

Gregory Mama growled angrily and Devil Dog laughed again and growled right back.

“My friends, now is not the time!” Gregory whined, wanting to get the discussion back on track, but holding back for fear his mother, who was the only one in range, would hit him. “We need to focus on _James!”_

“Ah, that little scamp?” Devil Dog sniggered. “Why? I killed the little brat. No need to worry about him!”

Roulette Boy gasped. “Start the vote! Execute her!” He pointed a tiny finger at the offender.

“Are you sure that’s such a good idea?” Steve asked timidly.

“He’s right!” Cactus Girl called from beside him. “We need proof that she did it!”

Judgement Boy tilted his head. “But we have a confession; surely that’s enough.” He grinned happily. “She just made it easy. I say we vote and put this behind us.”

“I’d also like to see her go right here and now,” Gregory Mama narrowed her eyes at Devil Dog. _We’ll see how beautiful she looks when she’s dead._

“Are you all forgetting what’s at stake?” Neko Zombie questioned. “If we get this wrong, we’ll _die._ It would be best if we have clear proof rather than just a testimony.”

Everyone looked at Devil Dog expectantly and she just burst into a snickering fit.

Sarah let out a mental sigh. This was going to be a long trial…


	7. The Murderer's Death

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _I just want to say a BIG thank you to Tori for doing so much work on this while I was away and I definitely think she deserves a lot of credit for this chapter. Thanks so much for soldiering on while I was away! - Veneesla_   
>  _Thanks Ven ;w;_   
>  _And I want to say a BIG thank you to shortlifelongart, pinapapo, and n0xins for their beautiful art! I’m so happy you guys contributed; your art really brought this chapter to life!_   
>  _Enjoy it, everyone <3 _

Devil Dog jumped right onto her recollection, feeling no pressure from the judging gazes coming at her from every angle.

“What’s there to tell?” Devil Dog grinned. “In the middle of the night, James was prancing about in the lobby. After jumping out of little miss goody-two-shoes, I saw my chance. The little brat never heard me coming. I hit him over the head with the stem of my pitchfork and he collapsed to the ground, blood welling out of his wound!” She cackled sinisterly. “I have a strong arm, you know.”

“Oh oh!” Poor Conductor looked horrified. “And then what?!”

“I washed my pitchfork off in the bathroom and left, leaving Angel Dog very confused!” Devil Dog laughed. “She had no idea what happened at all!”

“In the women’s bathroom?” Catherine clarified.

“Of course!” Devil Dog exclaimed. “I may be a murderer, but I’m not a pervert. No way I’d use the boy’s bathrooms!”

Gregory Mama chuckled. “Pervert or not, you still have an awfully sick mind. Lying about killing a child like that… That proves which of us is the better woman.”

“What? Of course I killed him!” Devil Dog frowned. “How does that prove I didn’t?!”

“I think I remember Catherine saying…The washcloth was found in the men’s bathroom.” Mummy Papa said slowly.

“Oh that?” Devil Dog laughed. “I put that in there to mess with you!”

Catherine still wasn’t convinced. There were still missing details. “Monoputa, may I examine a photo of James’ wound?”

“You’re a smart one,” Monoputa winked at her. “Just get out your Monoputa File.” He leaned forward on his chair. “and if you’ve lost it I will be sorely disappointed.”

“Of _course_ I didn’t lose it!” Catherine pulled it out without hesitation. “I figured it would be a valuable asset in this trial, so I guarded it with my _life!”_

“I think I left mine in the kitchen…” Poor Conductor grumbled.

“I threw mine away,” Roulette Boy muttered. “I didn’t want to look at it anymore. The only thing worse than looking at _that_ is looking at Gunman’s ugly mug!”

Gunman frowned and stroked his moustache. “Hey! What is wrong with my face?”

Cactus Girl glared daggers at Roulette Boy and he burst into loud laughter.

“Can we get back on track here?” Sarah groaned, exasperated. “If you guys keep arguing with each other, we’ll never get any further!”

“Where’s the fun in that?” Devil Dog snickered mockingly.

“Thank you, Sarah!” Catherine sounded just as irritated as Sarah did. “Devil Dog, there’s no way you could have killed James.”

“I just said I did!” Devil Dog pointed her pitchfork at Catherine threateningly. “I ain’t beatin’ around the bush, lizard face!”

Catherine ignored Devil Dog’s insult and turned the Monoputa file around, revealing the close-up shot of James’ wounds.

Poor Conductor gasped and covered his eyes and Gregory pointedly looked away, but everyone else did their best to get a good look at the file. Gunman leaned forward so far he nearly fell over the front of his podium.

“There are two wounds here, and they are _far_ too big to have been caused by her pitchfork,” Catherine tapped the image with a sharp nail. “If Devil Dog had hit James with the stem of her pitchfork, the wounds would be a different shape. Longer and more cylindrical. These are completely round.”

“Hmph!” Devil Dog threw her nose in the air. “You guys _are_ good! You passed my test!”

“Test?” Cactus Girl leaned an arm on her podium, raising a brow at Devil Dog.

“Eh, just kiddin’. I just wanted to get all of you killed, including Little Miss Goody Two Shoes!” Devil Dog let out another big, crazy laugh. “My life bein’ stuck in her body is nothing special! And who knows? Maybe her getting smashed to pieces would let me out!”

“You’re my kind of girl!” Monoputa winked at Devil Dog and let out a tiger growl.

“Can you be Angel Dog now?” Hell’s Chef asked, immensely regretting bringing up what he saw.

“Nah, I think I’ll stick around just for you, Cheffo,” Devil Dog sniggered and tossed her hair. “Besides, I’d _loooove_ to see the real execution! Hey, Monoputa, is it gonna be bloody?”

“I’m not spoiling it!” Monoputa grinned, kicking his legs. “But it just might be… but if we keep goin’ off on tangents we’re _never_ going to figure it out!”

“For once, I agree!” Judgement Boy Gold proclaimed. “Someone obviously had access to a blunt weapon… but _who?”_

“Sarah! It was Sarah!” Gregory stabbed a finger in Sarah’s direction.

“Me?” Sarah touched a hand to her chest, her eyes widening.

“Are you going to blame _everyone_ in this courtroom?” Cactus Girl retorted.

“Not without proper evidence!” Gregory snickered. “I’d say the paintings were pretty suspicious!”

“Wait… what paintings?” Clock Master asked, pursing his lips in thought. “I don’t remember there being any mention of paintings.”

“When we were searching everyone’s rooms, we noticed something strange…” Gregory kept his eyes on Sarah, a confident smirk spreading across his face. “Everyone had a painting above their beds, but Sarah’s was missing…”

“Sure was!” Monoputa chirped, pulling out both of the paintings and holding them in each hand. “Check it out! One’s all bloody, and one’s pristine as can be!”

“Oh, yes…” Mummy Papa’s usually glazed-over eyes lit up. “And didn’t she _confess_ that the painting in her room was blood-stained…? Perhaps she was trying to throw us off her trail…?”

“She DEFINITELY swapped the painting in the lobby with the painting in her room!” Gregory nodded sagely.

“While the paintings are suspicious…” Neko Zombie pondered. “…it couldn’t have been her who did the swap. As we said before… she was with me when the murder occurred.”

Sarah nodded. “Yes, and before I left for Neko Zombie’s room, my old painting was still there. When I came back to get dressed for the investigation, it was different and bloodstained, meaning someone had access to my room when I left to see Neko Zombie.”

“But… Don’t all the doors lock?” Steve confirmed. “How could they get in? It’d be impossible.”

Roulette Boy snickered. “Unless she forgot to lock it or close the door when she left. I thought she was smarter than that! Unless Gunman’s stupidity rubbed off on her.”

“You… What is wrong with you, _mocoso_?!” Gunman was growing enraged.

“Do not listen to him, brother,” Cactus Girl glared at Roulette Boy. “We must focus on the task at hand.”

Sarah blinked, frantically trying to remember back to the moment when she left her room.

_…Sarah bit her lip and headed towards her own door before she could change her mind._ Maybe I can stop him from doing something he’d regret… _Sarah tiptoed to Neko Zombie’s door…_

“I don’t think I did close it…” Sarah said, bewildered.

“Haha! Told you!” Roulette Boy laughed. “Gunman really did rub off on her!”

Gunman quivered with rage, using every ounce of self-control not to grab his gun. Clock Master frowned at the only child in the room. “Young man, stop this behaviour at once! You are ruining the trial! If I had a son, they’d never be as cruel as you.”

Roulette Boy’s attitude completely changed, his eyes growing huge and filling up with tears. “I-I’m not being cruel! I’m just telling you what I know! My friend died, so I’m trying to cope…”

Sarah had no idea how much truth was in that statement, but she couldn’t help feeling a little upset whenever Roulette Boy cried. Even if there was something wrong with this kid, he _did_ lose a friend, after all…

“Was anything in Sarah’s room disturbed?” Gregory Mama inquired, casting Sarah a critical look. “Anything out of place, besides the painting? Was the murder weapon hidden in her bed or closet?”

“I made sure her room was searched _thoroughly…”_ Gregory huffed a bit. “…but, besides the lack of painting, nothing seemed to point to her being the murderer.”

Sarah suddenly felt very small with everyone’s eyes on her. She really wished Gregory wouldn’t talk about her like she wasn’t even there.

“We didn’t see anything that could cause blunt force trauma like that in any other rooms, either…” Neko Zombie pondered, tapping his chin. “Could it have been done bare handed?”

“That’s ridiculous!” Judgement Boy laughed a bit. “No one could do that much damage with two punches!”

“What about the knife they stole from me…?” Hell’s Chef cut in, one hand on the podium and the other pointing to himself. “We still don’t know what it was used for!”

“Do you think it’s possible James was the one to retrieve the knife?” Steve pondered aloud. “The killer would have no reason to get it himself if they used blunt force trauma.”

“There’s no way!” Gregory seemed insulted that Steve would even suggest such a thing. “Why would my grandson steal a knife?!”

“I-I’m not saying he attempted a murder! Maybe he wanted to defend himself… he _was_ walking around alone at night, after all…” Steve couldn’t look directly at Gregory when he was glaring like that. All of the conflict of the trial was overwhelming…

“It… it probably made him feel cool, to carry a knife like that…” Roulette Boy wiped his eyes, drooling a bit as he thought aloud. “If I knew James, he probably wanted to witness someone _else_ being killed!”

“My grandson would NEVER do something so sadistic!” Gregory couldn’t believe what came out of Roulette Boy’s mouth.

“Yes he would,” Gregory Mama said without so much as a second thought. “You’ve seen the way he behaves. You know it, Gregory.” She narrowed her eyes at him. “Or are you so thick you don’t acknowledge the mischief your own blood has caused?”

“Denial won’t help anyone, Gregory!” Judgement Boy Gold shook his head and shrugged. “I can tell just by looking at you that you’re not telling the whole truth!”

“Okay…” Gregory took a deep breath. “Maybe he _did_ tell me something about this whole thing…”

Everyone looked at Gregory, their eyes goggling as they waited for him to spill what he knew.

Gregory sighed and, figuring he had no choice now, got ready to tell the group his story.

“The night James was…” Gregory took a brief pause to swallow the lump in his throat. “…murdered, I wished him goodnight and he grabbed me by my jacket. He said ‘Grandpa… do you think someone’s gonna die before the secrets are told?’ His eyes were huge and they had a glint in them like nothing I’ve ever seen. He almost seemed… excited.”

“Oh, God…” Steve breathed, covering his mouth.

“I told him not to do anything he’d regret and tucked him into bed. Obviously… he didn’t listen to me, especially if he _did_ take the knife,” Gregory looked down at his skinny hands and realized he had a death grip on his podium. “His secret must have been _awful_ for him to worry so much over it. He seemed quite distressed when he read his.”

“Oh, it wasn’t so bad!” Monoputa pulled a card out of his pocket. “Just that he keeps a diary. Of course, I tore all previous pages out of it, but I digress!”

“Why would he be upset over _that?”_ Poor Conductor adjusted his monocle. “That’s hardly something to kill over!”

“Gyahahaha!” Devil Dog held her stomach as she cackled. “He was like, ten, wasn’t he? Keeping a diary is the girliest thing you could possibly do at that age! I bet it had little flowers on it and everything!”

“Hey, _you’re_ a girl, so don’t make fun of James for being girly!” Roulette Boy thought that was the greatest comeback of his life and smirked to himself, wiping the drool off his chin in a swift motion.

“That’s still not something to kill over!” Poor Conductor insisted. “All of you are jumping to conclusions!”

“James was a _child!”_ Judgement Boy Gold held out his arms. “Children don’t know the repercussions of their actions! They act on impulse and barely think about what’s to come! Why, I remember when Judgement Boy here was barely a-”

“That’s enough, Gold!” Judgement Boy interrupted his mentor, grinning sheepishly when Gold glared at him. “We really should focus on the trial…”

“That’s correct!” Judgement Boy Gold’s eyes lit up as a realization came to him. “It’s possible that James could have seeked to murder someone to keep his secret from being revealed! I know I was feeling desperate, but I managed to control myself! I’m sure James doesn’t have as much self-control as I do. I’m much older, after all!”

_This case isn’t about you…_ Sarah almost said, but judging by what Judgement Boy had to say about his boss, rebuking him was out of the question. Sarah had a feeling Gold would give her a tongue-lashing, and they just didn’t have the time for that.

“Monoputa…” Sarah opted to talk to their “judge” instead of reprimanding Gold. “Was there any blood on the knife? I didn’t notice any, but I was kind of far away…”

“Actually!” Monoputa flipped the knife out of nowhere and showed it to the courtroom. “If you look really close…”

Gregory Mama, who was right in front of his throne, gasped so loudly she almost inhaled her son’s coat right off of him. “There’s blood all over the blade!”

“There’s not enough for it to have been from a stabbing!” Gregory said quickly, jumping to his late grandson’s defense. “There’s just little flecks! That must be James’ blood…”

“Oh yeah!” Roulette Boy wiped away his tears and adopted a thoughtful posture. “I remember that now!”

“Roulette Boy… you need to remember to tell us useful information, okay?” Clock Master leaned over, talking slowly, which made Roulette Boy pout.

“There’s too much going on! I’m confused!” Roulette Boy folded his little arms and pointedly looked away from Clock Master, his pout intensifying.

The sun rose in Cactus Gunman’s eyes and he raised an arm in the air. “I actually found-”

“But who could James have attacked?” Judgement Boy interrupted Gunman. “No one here has any visible damage… he should have at least scratched somebody. Unless someone’s hiding something…”

“James is small,” Cactus Girl observed, clearing her throat. “Lo siento, _was_ small. If he managed to hurt someone, he probably would have merely slashed them on the leg. Did anyone notice anyone else limping?”

“No one’s limping!” Monoputa giggled. “But you’re on the right track! I can tell you that much!”

“We still don’t know what the murder weapon is!” Judgement Boy Gold jumped in, irritation in his voice. “We can’t dwell on this knife thing!”

“The murder weapon…” Cactus Gunman thought back to his evidence and, casting a glance at who he suspected, realized something.

“I’ve got it!” Cactus Gunman exclaimed, which caused the courtroom to go silent.

“You’ve… got it?” Sarah leaned around Catherine to raise a brow at Gunman. “I was with you the whole investigation. Do you know something I don’t?”

“I discovered something when you ran off towards the elevator with Judgement Boy…” Cactus Gunman gestured to Monoputa, who hopped off his throne and pattered to Gunman’s side, placing something into his hand. “Now that we’ve discussed everything, I know what it means!”

“Stop beating around the bush and show us,” Catherine was quite eager to get this trial over with.

“ _This_ is what I found!” Gunman held up his evidence and the courtroom gasped.

_“No.”_ Judgement Boy Gold breathed.

“ _Yes,”_ Cactus Gunman smirked at him. “Does this look familiar…” Gunman gestured with a flourish at his main suspect.

“ _Judgement Boy?”_

“Judgement Boy?!” Sarah covered her mouth, goggling at Gunman.

“That cage…” Judgement Boy’s voice was shaking and peppered with disbelief. “Where… where did you _find_ that?”

Sure enough, in Gunman’s hand was one of Judgement Boy’s cages, still attached to its chain. It was splattered heavily with aged blood.

“Under the couch,” Gunman chuckled, sure he had Judgement Boy cornered. “Sloppy. I expected better from someone with your apparent intelligence!”

“This is _ridiculous!”_ Judgement Boy Gold flew over his podium and moved right in front of Gunman’s face. “How _dare_ you accuse my student of such a thing! He knows very well that I would _never_ allow something like this to happen!” Judgement Boy Gold was talking so intensely that he kept spitting in Gunman’s face. Gunman squeezed his eyes shut in disgust. “I’m sure he just accidentally brushed his cage in the blood at the scene of the crime and disposed of it so he wouldn’t be accused!” Judgement Boy Gold gave Judgement Boy an immense forced grin. “Right?”

Judgement Boy said nothing, turning white as a sheet and fiddling with his hands.

_“Right?!”_ Judgement Boy Gold urged, his smile faltering.

“He… he couldn’t have dragged his cage through the blood…” Sarah was looking pretty pale herself. “The blood’s mostly on top of it… Judgement Boy… what did you _do?”_

Judgement Boy still wasn’t talking.

Gregory, on the other hand, had a lot to say.

“Execute him! Right _NOW!”_ Gregory looked like he wanted to execute Judgement Boy with his own two hands. “MURDERER! BASTARD! CHILD-KILLER!”

Gregory Mama hoisted her arms under Gregory’s armpits, making sure he didn’t run across the courtroom and bludgeon Judgement Boy to death with his own bloodstained cage.

“WAHAHAHAHAHA!” Judgement Boy Gold wiped a tear from his eye, his serious demeanor all but gone. “Okay, Monoputa, you can stop pulling this joke on Judgement Boy and I! There’s no _way_ this cage is real! This is fake evidence you planted, isn’t it? My pupil would _never_ kill anyone!”

“Gold…” Mummy Papa drawled. “I don’t think anyone’s joking…”

Gold’s smile fell and he paled. Turning slowly to Judgement Boy, he parted his lips, but nothing came out.

All eyes were on Judgement Boy now, the silence practically palpable. Gold remained floating facing his pupil, agape, occasionally shaking his head.

The one to break the silence was Sarah.

“Judgement Boy…” she said, her voice shaking. “ _You_ did this?”

After a series of spluttering sounds, Judgement Boy shouted so loudly the windows rattled.

_“IT WAS AN ACCIDENT!”_

Judgement Boy covered his mouth, his eyes goggling. The words had come out before he could stop them, like vomit.

“A-an ACCIDENT?!” Gregory’s face turned purple with rage. “How do you _accidentally_ kill a child?!”

“Y-you… YOU killed James?!” Roulette Boy sobbed. “But… but I thought you were nice! Why? Why’d you do it?!”

“AH-HA! A confession!” Cactus Gunman bowed, tipping his hat to the courtroom. “My evidence has labeled this man as guilty! Start the vote!”

“I want to see this man’s blood splashing the walls!” Gregory wrenched himself out of his mother’s grasp, slamming a fist on his podium.

“NO!” Judgement Boy Gold looked at Monoputa, his hands up and his eyes threatening tears. “Can’t we declare a mistrial? Judgement Boy said it was an accident!”

“Hmm…” Monoputa stroked his chin. “Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm…”

“We should at least hear Judgement Boy’s side of the story!” Sarah demanded. “We… we can shed some light on this and no one else will have to die!”

“HMMMMMMMMMMM…” Monoputa smirked a bit. “Okay. Judgement Boy, tell us what happened!”

“AGH!” Gregory promptly covered his ears.

“Gold, go back to your podium first!” Monoputa demanded, pointing to where Judgement Boy Gold was meant to be. “I didn’t give you permission to get up!”

Gold made a noise of resignation and returned to the spot he was meant to be in, scrubbing at his glasses with one of his round hands.

Judgement Boy swallowed a lump in his throat, looking at the wall instead of at the judgmental eyes all around him. He could practically feel the disappointment radiating off of Judgement Boy Gold and Sarah, which pained him more than anything else.

The only thing he could do now is tell his story and hope it would make everyone stop looking at him with such contempt.

Judgement Boy took a deep breath and started to recount his story.

“I don’t remember what time it was. I knew it was late, but I couldn’t sleep no matter how hard I tried. I decided to check on Gold, since I knew he wasn’t feeling well. When I got there, I saw that he couldn’t sleep either, so I decided to keep him company… He fell asleep a few minutes after I got there, but I couldn’t sleep no matter how hard I tried. I decided to wander around this place to clear my head.

I sang a bit, not too loud, but I guess someone heard me… when I got to the lobby, I thought I saw someone moving around, but I dismissed it as a delusion. Before I knew it, though, I felt someone climbing up my weights. I looked down, and there was James, this enormous grin on his face and that giant knife in his hand.

Needless to say, I panicked. I smacked him in the head, not too hard, just enough to knock a little sense into him. He started crying after that and he yelled 'OW! You can’t do that! You’re _definitely_ gonna get it now!’ That’s when I knew it. This kid wanted me dead.

All sense was gone from my head right then. I hit James again; hoping I’d get him off me or at least knock him out. As soon as I heard this… horrible crunching sound, I knew I hit too hard. Blood went _everywhere,_ all over my hand, my cage, my shirt, the painting on the wall… the knife went flying and James fell to the ground. I backed away as soon as I realised what I’d done. _I killed a kid. I killed a kid and now I’m going to die too._

That’s when I heard that giggling behind me. I turned around and there was Monoputa, standing there, laughing like this was the funniest thing he had ever seen. Not knowing what to do, I asked him for help. Monoputa actually agreed, to my surprise; saying I killed so sloppily everyone would know it was me in a heartbeat. He cleaned me up and said he’d put away the cloth he used. He even gave me a new cage and told me he’d get rid of the one with the blood on it…” Judgement Boy cast a glance at Gunman and his evidence and chuckled darkly. “We can all see how good a job he did with that one.

I decided to swap the painting with one in someone else’s room. I did my best to wipe off the blood, but you can’t just get rid of it that easily. I grabbed it off the wall and headed to the hallway, where I saw someone left their door ajar. I didn’t even bother to check who the door belonged to and did the quickest swap I could. After that was done, I went back into Gold’s room and tried to pretend like nothing ever happened… but I felt like I swallowed a rock. I didn’t get any sleep… then the whole investigation started. And that’s the truth.”

Judgement Boy turned his gaze onto the catatonic Sarah, his brow furrowed. “I’m… I’m sorry I indirectly placed the blame on you, Sarah. You’ve been a great friend to me, and even if we haven’t known each other for very long, I-GLURK!”

Judgement Boy was interrupted by a metal collar clasping around his neck in a chokingly tight hold. He grabbed at it, but it was no use, it wasn’t going anywhere.

“But there is one thing I do not understand… how could such a puny, girly man hit so hard?” Gunman stroked his chin. “The evidence points to him, and yet…”  
“He’s strong,” Sarah blurted. “It… it pains me to say it, but I told myself I’d find the murderer, no matter what…”

Ignoring Judgement Boy’s pleading gaze, Sarah swallowed and made eye contact with Gunman. “I’m sure someone like him would have no trouble killing someone bare handed.”

“And how do you know this?” Gunman narrowed his eyes at her questioningly.

Sarah blushed. “We hugged… I felt his arms. They’re surprisingly strong for two metal poles. He lifted me off the floor like I weighed nothing.”

“You… you _hugged?”_ Gunman spluttered, his sister slamming a palm into her forehead and groaning.

“Now’s not the time for-” Cactus Girl began, but she was interrupted by Monoputa.

“I’ve had enough of this stupid goddamned love triangle!” Monoputa held his gavel in the air, a big red button on a silver pedestal rising up in front of him. “It’s time to vote! I think it’s clear who the culprit is!”

Sarah looked down at her podium and saw a panel flip open, revealing a bunch of buttons with each person’s face on them.

“Not voting is punishable by death~!” Monoputa sang, flipping his gavel around.

The courtroom was filled with a chorus of beeps as everyone pressed their buttons. An enormous TV screen descended from the ceiling with the image of a slot machine on it. After flipping around for a few moments, the slot machine landed on three images of Judgement Boy’s face. The sounds of cheering came out of the TV’s speakers and “GUILTY!” flashed on top of the slot machine in bright neon lights.

“Looks like we’ve got one vote that isn’t for Judgement Boy!” Monoputa giggled. “Oh, Judgement Boy Gold, you believed in your student to the last moment! How _touching.”_

“You can’t do this!” Judgement Boy Gold was doing his damndest to pull the collar off of his strangled underling, but to no avail. “It was an accident! This is inhumane!”

“Let me sing you a little song,” Monoputa jumped to his feet. “I DOOOOOON’T CAAAAAARE~!” With that, he slammed the gavel on the red button.

 

The collar around Judgement Boy’s neck began to reel in at a surprisingly fast rate, sending him flying through a huge, newly opened doorway, but not before knocking against his mentor and giving him a sizable dent on the side of his chest.

_“JUDGEMENT BOOOOOOY!”_ Gold instantly went flying after him.

“Oooooh, this is gonna be good!” Devil Dog followed suit, giggling all the way.

Everyone else stayed firmly rooted in their spots, but Monoputa gave them a huge smirk, waving his arms.

With his gesture, everyone finally found themselves in a huge, dark room with an enormous chain link fence separating the group from Judgement Boy. Judgement Boy was strapped down on a table, looking up at an enormous mirror, sweat pouring down his face.

Gold was violently slamming against the fence, gritting his teeth and fighting back tears. Sarah was overcome with the urge to join him, but she knew it would be futile. Monoputa was dead set in this execution happening.

Everyone besides Gold were reeling from confusion from the sudden relocation, apart from Roulette Boy and Gregory, who seemed quite eager for the execution to start.

“PUNISHMENT TIME!” Monoputa, who was in the execution area, pulled a giant lever and retreated behind the mirror.

“Do you know… Who you are…? They call you Judgement Boy…” The eerie singsong chant teasingly echoed around the room, sending chills down everyone’s spines. The chant repeated a few more times, and with each round the chanting grew louder, the tempo increased, stress built up in everyone’s systems. The paranoia, the fear, everyone knew what was to come and resented Monoputa dragging out their despair to the last drop. On the last notes of the song, the reflection in Judgement Boy’s mirror changed. It was no longer a reflection of Judgement Boy’s helpless form, this Judgement Boy was free and looking right at him with persecuting eyes. Gold gasped and flailed against the fence even harder.

“You’re trapped in a hotel with no memory of how you got here or of your past,” the reflection spoke, leaving Judgement Boy to gape in horror. “What you do know is that you are one of the Judgement Boys: unbiased fellows who simply judge others and _do not_ try to twist fate to their advantage. One night you start to wander around the halls. Suddenly, another hotel guest jumps onto you and begins climbing up your weights with a knife in his hand! Despite him being a child, he intends to kill you! So, do you stay the unbiased judger you were born to be, or do you take fate into your own hands?”

“HOLD ON, JUDGEMENT BOY!” Gold yelled, smashing the fence as much as he could. Sarah was surprised to see it giving way.

Judgement Boy swallowed, looking extremely nervous and opened his mouth. “I-I…”

“You say you’ll let fate take it’s course, but let’s ask the Scales of Truth!” The reflection rocked side to side, it’s gaze never shifting from the petrified victim strapped down to the table. “Which will it be, money or love? Only the Scales know for sure!” Judgement Boy’s reflection spun around at an incredible pace, all the while Gold was making progress smashing the fence. Once the reflection stopped spinning, it immediately dropped the heart sign from one of it’s cages, and it smashed to the floor leaving a pile of glowing, rosy coloured shards. Judgement Boy gulped. “In the end, you couldn’t _help_ but defend yourself, and when the child held strong, you smashed his head open and shattered his skull. You just sentenced yourself to death.” The reflection grinned menacingly. “And that’s the truth,” It waved a stubby little arm. “See ya!”

Spikes protruded out of the wall behind Judgement Boy and instantly the table he was strapped onto flipped around, releasing the straps right as it shot a screaming Judgement Boy to the spikes. The reflection gripped it’s stomach and gave a hearty laugh before fading out of existence. Gold screamed and burst through the fence, rushing over to his pupil, his arms up in an attempt to pluck him from the air. His hand only just grazed Judgement Boy but it wasn’t enough. Gold cried out as he was splattered with Judgement Boy’s blood. The spikes retracted and Judgement Boy’s lifeless corpse crashed to the floor, it’s eyes unseeing and it’s face a mask of terror.

 

Gold floated over to his body and wept into his pupil’s remains, not caring how bloody he got. He lost the closest thing he ever had to a son.

“Hey!” Monoputa came lurching around from behind the mirror and stormed over to the space between the heartbroken mentor and the hole in the fence. “Look what you did to MY FENCE! You know how MUCH that COST?! I put a lot of effort into this for you bastards and this is the thanks I get?!” He stormed over to Gold and started screaming at his back. “I swear, gold boy, if you DIE here, which I am SORELY HOPING, I will fix that hole with your gold plating!” He fumed to himself for a few more seconds. You could almost see the steam pouring out with each breath. “HEY! Are you listening to me?!”

But Gold wasn’t listening. All of his senses were shut off as he mourned over his pupil’s corpse.

Judgement Boy’s body was utterly broken. It was punctured all over with holes, each dripping dark, oily blood. One spike had pierced right through his glasses, shattering them and popping one eyeball. Whitish optic fluid gushed from his nearly empty eye socket and mixed with the blood on his face, creating a nauseating, pinkish color. One of Judgement Boy’s arms, which had been cut nearly all the way through, fell off as Gold held him closer.

Judgement Boy Gold didn’t care how horrible his late pupil looked; he wasn’t going to give up his body for anything, even with the blood ruining his gold chassis.

In a complete contrast to Judgement Boy Gold, Gregory, Devil Dog and Roulette Boy were completely ecstatic with what they just saw.

“Yes! YES!” Gregory cried happily, his hands quivering with excitement. “That’s what you deserve for killing my grandson!”

“Calm down, Gregory! You’re making me look bad!” Gregory Mama scolded.

Nearly everyone else was silent, looking at the tragic scene with looks of pity, sadness, or sheer horror on their faces.

“What’s wrong with all of you?!” Roulette Boy pouted and stomped his foot. “He killed my best friend! Why are all you dummies so sad?! You should be _happy!”_

Devil Dog cackled away to herself. “Monoputa! Take a picture!”

Monoputa’s face broke into a grin. “That’s a great idea!” He whipped out a camera and took a few shots from different angles. “I’m going to LOVE these!” He put away the camera and whipped around to face everyone. “Now before any of you break more of my things, I want you all OUT of my courtroom! Court adjourned! Go go go!” He shooed them away with his hands and slowly everyone shuffled out, some more happily than others. “I said _go_ , Goldboy!” Monoputa grabbed Judgement Boy Gold’s arm and yanked him away from Judgement Boy, his lifeless body tumbling to the ground. Gold wailed in protest and tried to grab at it again, but Monoputa wasn’t letting him go.

A few of the crowd members hung back and walked over to the once smug and proud figure of Judgement Boy Gold.

“Get up,” Hell’s Chef stated bluntly.

“It’s all right,” Clock Master insisted to Gold, ignoring Hell’s Chef. Gold sniffed as snot and tears dribbled down his shiny face. “I know what it is like to lose something that you care for. Although I can’t remember what it was…”

“People have cared for me when I’ve collapsed,” Mummy Papa droned. “It’s only fair I do the same for you.”

Gregory chuckled at Gold’s crumpled form as he and the other three lifted Gold up and helped him to the elevator. It rose slowly, leaving Monoputa to grumble about repairs. The elevator was dank and quiet, the silence only broken by Gold’s sobs and the sound of Sarah’s shattering heart.

**15 PEOPLE STILL ALIVE**


	8. The Book

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Hey guys! Sorry this chapter took so long to get out; I’ve been busy. I really hope you enjoy it~_   
>  _Illustrations are by shortlifelongart; she did an amazing job! :D_   
>  _Okay, enough blathering, here’s the chapter~_   
>  **A/N: Okay, next update. I hope everyone will enjoy it! Aside from that, I feel like a major jerk for not thanking our artists, individually or collectively, for the incredible work they’ve done so far. They’ve really brought everything to life and I LOVED it. It just made GDS so much better than I could have imagined! And since I’m a total chicken and too afraid to address everyone individually, I would like to thank EVERY ARTIST WHO CONTRIBUTED. YOU GUYS ARE GREAT. I’m especially looking forward to the upcoming Dangan Ronpa styled art of a few more characters by think-poiple so thanks in advance to them! - Veneesla**

Sarah had retreated to her room as soon as everyone got back from the trial. At first, she was curled up into a ball on her bed, replaying the execution in her head. Over… And over… and over…

She couldn’t get the image of Judgement Boy’s dead body out of her mind. His missing eye, all the blood, the look of terror on his face… he had been so full of life, and Monoputa utterly destroyed him, both emotionally and physically, and that had been an _accidental_ murder!

That’s when Sarah had an epiphany. This was _real._ People were going to murder each other, and if they got caught, they would die horribly, executed publically like a criminal in the Middle Ages. It was barbaric, disgusting, and twisted, and it had happened to someone Sarah had trusted, someone she considered her friend.

How could she trust _anyone_ now?

Sarah choked and buried her face in her hands, finally letting the tears fall. She wept softly at first, but eventually she burst into body-wracking sobs. She remembered how she had comforted Judgement Boy when he went through a similar trauma, and he had wept on her shoulder. She had given him hope. Something to believe in. A flame within the darkness. The thought made Sarah cry even harder; she knew that light had been extinguished and the darkness collapsed on her, shrouding her in a freezing cloak of despair.

Judgement Boy had lit the spark. He was the first to kill and now that he had, more would follow until there was one heartless murderer left standing around the piles of dead, desperate, innocent victims. Sarah had once had hope that Monoputa might let them leave to their own realities after a while if everything was peaceful. But everything hadn’t been peaceful. Now she knew this would _never_ happen. No light was at the end of the tunnel. No knight in shining armor to save them.

There was a knock at the door, hesitant and slow. Sarah looked up from her sniffling and glanced at the spot where it came from. Her heart twisted with fear of betrayal and the need to be alone. She slapped her hands over her ears, her eyes squeezed shut as though blocking the senses would make them leave. The knock came again, slightly drowned out by Sarah’s hands.

“Go away!” She cried, another tear rolling down her cheek. “Leave me be…” She whispered to herself.

“S-senorita?” came Gunman’s voice from the other side of the door. “You sound really upset. The way you ran off when we returned was-”

“I said GO AWAY!” Sarah grabbed a book off of her bedside table and tossed it against the door as hard as she could, making Gunman shriek in surprise.

“N-no need to get aggressive, senorita, I just wanted to-” Sarah could practically imagine the terrified expression on his face.

Sarah buried her face in her pillow and covered her ears, hoping Gunman would get bored and leave. Her pillow got more and more damp as tears filled the fabric, soaking it. But Sarah didn’t care. She didn’t care about anything anymore.

“Uh, si, senorita,” Gunman said, after a while. “I understand you need to be alone. But if you need someone to talk to, I will be here.”

Angry fires burned inside Sarah’s chest. _What doesn’t this idiot get about go away?!_ She glared at the door so intensely, she might as well have burned holes through it. Her face was hot and red, the tears not even slightly diminishing the heat.

“GET AWAY! LEAVE ME ALONE!” She shrieked so loud her voice cracked.

“AIIIIEEEEE!” Gunman cried and Sarah heard his light, speedy footsteps fade away as they disappeared down the hall.

Sarah spent the next few hours lying in her room. Staring at the ceiling, at the wall. She couldn’t get over the grief of the tragedy that had befallen her, but she was beginning to calm down. Slowly, with the winds of time, the fire that raged in her heart blew out. She lay aimlessly, unfeeling. A solitary thought wandered into her shattered mind. _I should apologise. He was only trying to help._

Face blank and eyes downcast, Sarah walked into the hall, locked her door and walked past the rooms. She had a feeling Gunman would be alone cowering in his.

Despite her intention, Sarah found her legs walking to Judgement Boy’s old room. Without thinking, she stopped next to it, reached out her hand and touched the door. She felt a dull emptiness where her heart should be. The cold, hard wood did nothing to fill the void. _I wish you were here,_ Sarah thought as her hand slid down the wood and came to rest on the doorknob. _I could use you and your optimism about now…_ She felt like trying the door to see if it would open. She didn’t know why. No red, joyful set of scales lived here anymore. Perhaps part of her hoped it wasn’t true so she tried it anyway. To her surprise, it was unlocked. With a creeeeak, it swung open revealing the dishevelled Judgement Boy Gold crying to himself. Judgement Boy’s room had always been nearly bare since he hung from the ceiling but despite that, Gold felt this room was the closest he could get to his lost companion.

“G-Gold?” Sarah tilted her head a little. She’d be lying if she said she was surprised.

He made an unattractive sound of surprise before whipping around, his eyes puffy and red. “O-oh, Sarah.” He flailed about as he tried to straighten himself. Putting on a false confident demeanor, which wasn’t very effective, he swallowed and attempted to act casual. “What brings you by? A Golden Judgement? Or are you just naturally drawn by my shining personality?” He beamed at her, his teeth glimmering despite his obviously fake smile.

“You’re here for the same reason I am, aren’t you?” Sarah asked, a small flicker of happiness in her chest. She didn’t know why she didn’t come to him before. He was certainly someone who felt the loss as great as she did. “You miss Judgement Boy.”

The false smug smile crumbled away and Gold looked like he was ready to cry again. “How can I NOT?!” He yelled, his voice thick with distress. “None of you knew him like I did! _None_ of you! The times we shared! The judgements we practiced and performed! _None_ of you were there for that! None of you understand how I feel!” His voice cracked a little at the last word.

Sarah bunched her hands into fists. “You think _I’m_ not upset too?! Judgement Boy was the best friend I had in this crazy place!” Hot tears burned behind her eyes. She was stupid to believe he would take her feelings into account. “You’re not the only one who misses him!”

Judgement Boy Gold looked a little stunned, and upset. He couldn’t _believe_ someone spoke to him like that, especially when he was going through this crisis! “You’ve only known him for a few days, _Sarah._ I’ve been his mentor for a countless amount of time and watch him grow, and rise above the other Judgement Boys! I-”

“Tragedy isn’t a competition!” Sarah fumed, angry that his need to be the best even came into this situation. “I just…” She sat down slowly and brought her knees up to her chest as her voice and eyes became distant. “…want him back.”

“Heheh,” Gold laughed a little. “I remember the times Judgement Boy got mad at me like that.” Sarah looked up at his suddenly sad, reminiscent face as he continued. “He was convinced I was drilling him too much and too hard, saying I was only doing it to keep up my image as the best.” He sighed and gently moved a hand over the dent on his chassis, “I was, of course, but I truly wanted him to be the great at what he did. He was an excellent pupil until the end, like his mentor. Now I wonder, will he only remember me as what I became when we entered this hotel?”

“I’m sure he remembers you as the great mentor you were,” Sarah smiled a little.

In that moment, Judgement Boy Gold and Sarah formed a bond, pulling each other out of the pit of despair Monoputa had pushed them into. The next few hours seemed to fly by to Sarah as they exchanged stories about Judgement Boy. Gold did most of the talking, but she didn’t mind; she was willing to listen. Venting to each other about the subject to one who almost equally understood the other’s feelings, Sarah couldn’t think of anything else she’d rather be doing. After a time, talking about their departed friend became easier, and they began to accept more and more that they would have to move on, and be strong for Judgement Boy, like he’d want them to be.

“…Judgement Boy was always so ambitious before we came here,” Gold continued. “I think _my_ ambition rubbed off on him! That tends to happen when you work under me. And I’m not saying he’s easily replaceable, Judgement Boy really was one of a kind, but perhaps if…” Gold’s face became uncertain. He shook his head to clear it and assumed a more determined expression. “… _when_ we all leave, I can recruit one of the younger, numbered Judgement Boys. Certainly not that number 3; Judgement Boy never got along with him. I will make my choice one he’d approve of.”

Sarah nodded with approval, happy Gold’s venting enabled him to be taking this so well. She didn’t know how long he could keep it up, though. Once he had calmed down enough, Sarah was afraid he’d panic even more about the threat of death; especially since his pupil was gone and unable to comfort him. _Wait a second…Comfort?_ The word rang bells in Sarah’s mind. Suddenly it struck her like a speeding fire engine. _I forgot to apologize to Gunman!_ She hastily stood up and Judgement Boy Gold looked at her with surprise.

“Where are you going? Is my golden sheen too much for you to take? I swear I’m gold to the core so you’ll have to learn to get used to it,” Gold chuckled.

Sarah smirked to herself. “Yes, it’s blinding me and I need a break,” Sarah joked sarcastically. “I just remembered something I have to do. I appreciate you talking to me to me though. It really helped me a lot.”

“It’s my job,” Gold grinned, revealing his sharp, pointy teeth. “Maybe someday you’ll be worthy of a golden judgement. Remember, if you ever need to talk about something that’s troubling you, come find me.”

Sarah nodded with a smile and opened the door.

“Because I can solve your problems,” he continued. “I _am_ the best.”

Sarah rolled her eyes and departed Gold with a farewell. _I’ll keep his offer in mind, but personally, his insistence makes me think maybe it’ll be just him venting. It must be his way of asking for someone to really talk to while keeping up his ego._ Sarah put her hands on her hips and looked up and down the hall. _Now where’s that cactus run off to?_

Sarah headed over to Gunman’s room, feeling significantly better than when she last tried. Her apology would at least be more sincere now. She stopped outside his room, took a little, sharp breath and knocked.

“Wh-Who’s there?!” There was a flurry of footsteps and in no time at all Gunman had flung the door open and looked at Sarah with wild, fearful eyes.

At first, he didn’t quite register that it was Sarah who had knocked and shrieked, backpedaling. Sarah was taken completely off-guard by this turn of events and could do nothing but chuckle uncomfortably. _I knew I was aggressive with him when we last met, but did it really affect his view of me_ that _much?_

“I-I’m sorry, did I scare you?” Sarah was a little embarrassed and scratched the back of her neck.

“O-oh! Senorita!” Gunman looked flustered and straightened his sombrero, then smiled at Sarah sheepishly. “Of course not! I was…expecting it to be someone else.”

“So, you didn’t get scared because of how I treated you before?” She asked.

Gunman shook his head a little too fiercely. “No, no! Not at all!” _Okay, maybe a little. But I can’t let her know that!_ “A tough hombre like me can take being treated like that.”

“Right…” Sarah said slowly, not believing his claim. _We both know you ran away screaming…_ She smiled a little. She’d be lying if she said it wasn’t funny although he couldn’t help but feel bad. “Who were you expecting then?”

Gunman seemed caught off-guard. “What did you say?”

A puzzled expression crept onto Sarah’s face. “I said ‘who were you expecting?’ Since everyone at this hotel is _so scary_ I can’t determine that myself.”

“I, er…” Gunman looked embarrassed before admitting his thoughts. “I thought it was someone out to get me.”

“You thought someone was just going to come to your room and kill you in the doorway?” Sarah raised an eyebrow. “That wouldn’t be very smart for the killer.” She sighed, her mind briefly drifting back to the trial, “but I get where you’re coming from.”

“I do not believe you do, senorita. For you see…” He tilted his sombrero forward and looked up at her from beneath it. “I was a wanted man before I arrived. My instincts are still making me wary.”

Sarah’s eye widened in surprise. She knew he was a Mexican gunman, but she never thought he’d be so good as to be hunted day and night. “Wow, no wonder you were on edge. But no one here is hunting you for your crimes. I don’t think someone would be so bold as to kill right after a murder, so for now I think we’re safe.”

“That is true,” Gunman nodded. “And there is no motive, so we should be safe.”

Sarah smiled, but her face instantly fell when she remembered her whole purpose for coming here. “Anyhow, I came to say that… I’m sorry for my behavior.” She looked down guiltily, “it was rash and stupid and I know you were only trying to help but… I was just so upset! I couldn’t stop myself from getting mad! I kept telling myself that no one understood and I couldn’t trust anybody and I-”

“Shhh, senorita,” Gunman soothed, resting a hand gently on her shoulder. “It is behind us, and I forgive you.”

Sarah looked up at Gunman with shiny, thankful and apologetic eyes and he got lost in her gaze. She straightened up, a little ashamed encouraging his feelings in such a situation, which snapped him out of his trance. Suddenly, a voice boomed throughout the hotel. making both of them jump in surprise.

“Attention everyone!” Monoputa’s squeaky voice announced. “I have a surprise for you all so I need everyone in the lobby, STAT! And I don’t care how upset or scared you are, move!”

Sarah’s face stretched into a snarl, a phoenix of anger rising from the ashes. _Hasn’t he already done enough?!_

Gunman pulled his hat down lower over his head. “Ayiyiyi! I had to open my big mouth! Just when I thought we were safe! Do you know what he wants?”

“I don’t, but we’d better go see,” Sarah scowled.

She hated to admit it to herself, but she feared what Monoputa would do if she didn’t comply… She and Gunman walked to the lobby, the latter trailing behind a little and casting suspicious glances at the doors to everyone’s rooms.

When she arrived there, she saw that only a few of the others had beaten her to it. Judgement Boy Gold was already there, looking weary, as were Gregory Mama and her son, who simply looked angry. Sarah nervously took a seat on one of the couches which was already occupied by Cactus Girl and Gunman squeezed in between them. They waited as everyone else filed in. Monoputa nowhere to be found.

After about a minute, everyone started exchanging hushed theories.

“Do you think it’s another motive…?” Cactus Girl murmured to her brother, biting her lip nervously.

“No, there wouldn’t be another motive so soon!” Cactus Gunman sounded like he was trying to reassure himself as much as he was trying to reassure his sister.

“How do you know that?” Neko Zombie scoffed bitterly. “Monoputa seems like he’d take advantage of how we’re feeling and try to make all of us go crazy.”

“Don’t be so negative!” Angel Dog frowned intensely at Neko Zombie. “You’re going to make everyone even more paranoid!”

“It’s not a motive!” Monoputa’s voice sang out. Everyone looked around the room, but he was still nowhere to be found. “I can’t believe all of you would think me to be so cruel!” Sarah could tell he was pouting just by his tone of voice.

Monoputa finally popped up under the couch Sarah was sitting on. Sarah and Gunman yelped in surprise, the latter nearly knocking his sister off the couch in a flailing fit.

“Wimps,” Monoputa stuck his disgustingly long tongue out at her before righting himself and brushing off his shirt. He moved to the middle of everyone and adopted a look of sympathy, putting his hands behind his back. “I know all of you aren’t feeling so well after that trial…”

Everyone exchanged wary glances and Gold ran a hand over his dent again.

“…but that’s the way things go and you ought to get used to it!” Hostility crept into Monoputa’s voice, but he quickly adopted his sympathetic persona again. “…but, since this was the first time you had to watch an execution and all, I took the liberty of getting all of you presents! You know, to take the edge off!” Monoputa beamed at everyone and they looked at him flatly.

“P-presents?” Poor Conductor spluttered. “They won’t blow up in our faces, will they?”

“Of course not!” Monoputa seemed hurt. “What kind of Prompter do you think I am?!”

“Well, you _did_ just kill one of our friends in cold blood…” Sarah mumbled.

“He was a _child-killer!”_ Monoputa couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

“Don’t reduce him to a label like _that!”_ Judgement Boy Gold protested, holding up a hand threateningly. “Why, if I didn’t know what you were capable of, I’d-”

“Shut your trap, Glittering Gabriel!” Monoputa roared. Gold promptly stopped talking. “All of you… just… just go to your rooms and open your gifts! Except for you, Chef.”

“…what about me?” Hell’s Chef hadn’t been paying attention. He gave Monoputa a critical look, his arms folded across his broad chest.

“ _Your_ gift is in the kitchen!” Monoputa gave him a million dollar grin. “I think you’ll be _very_ happy with it.”

“Eh.” Hell’s Chef said, but he cast a curious glance in the kitchen’s direction anyway.

“What if we refuse the gift?” Neko Zombie squinted his stitched-up eyes.

“Aww, you’re one ingrateful kitty!” Monoputa pouted up at Neko Zombie. “And I went through all the trouble of finding your favorite chocolate!”

“Chocolate…?” Neko Zombie’s expression softened for a moment, but his harshness returned after a few moments of thought. “You didn’t poison it, did you? Because I’ll be able to smell it.”

“Then go to your room and smell it, you ingrate,” Monoputa pattered up to Neko Zombie and shoved him toward the bedroom hallway. Turning to everyone else, Monoputa added: “I put a _lot_ of thought into these, so if you don’t like them, it’s gonna really hurt my feelings!”

Everyone loitered in the lobby for a few minutes, not knowing what to do. Eventually, Catherine’s curiosity consumed her, and she stood up and headed for her room without saying a word.

Her departure broke the ice and everyone slowly filed out of the room, one by one, until the lobby was completely empty.

“I knew they’d come around…” Monoputa snickered, his eyes travelling towards the kitchen. “Now to check on Chef… I have a lot of explaining to do~!”

 

_GHS_

 

Sarah’s hands shook as she held the carefully wrapped, glittering package up to her ear. She wasn’t sure what she was checking for. Ticking? Beeping? What did bombs sound like?

_It could be filled with arsenic…_ Sarah’s nagging conscious warned. _You could drop dead as soon as you open it. Monoputa got sick of waiting for murders and decided to just kill you all now!_

The box _was_ heavy… who knows what could be in it?

“Only one way to find out…” Sarah muttered to herself as she carefully placed the box on her bed.

Sarah tore open the paper and turned her face away in fear of what she’d find. When she didn’t instantly drop dead, she slowly turned back towards the gifts. The box contained a ribboned stack of books with a note on top.

Sarah did her best not to be delighted with the gift, but once she went through the pile, she couldn’t help herself. Most of them were mystery novels with the occasional trashy romance novel thrown in. Sarah always liked to read those so she could laugh at the bad plots. Nothing amused her more than poorly written, sappy romance.

“I guess he meant it when he said he wanted to take the edge off…” Sarah sighed, pulling her ponytail out and letting her hair fall to her shoulders. “He probably wants to lure us into a false sense of security, but… I could use a good book right about now.” Sarah glanced at the note and, after pursing her lips in thought, figured she should read it.

She picked it up and flipped it open, surprised to see that the letter was handwritten and personalized.

_Hey, Sarah! How you doin’?_

_Just kidding. I know how you’re doin’. Your little boyfriend just got skewered so you’re probably feeling pretty shitty, huh?_

Sarah swallowed and resisted the urge to tear the note to shreds. Something in the back of her mind told her that this could be important, so she soldiered on.

_Well, that’s why I got you these! You have my condolences. Just wanted to remind you that he was a murderer, and that’s how things go! Maybe you should choose your friends better next time, hm?_

Sarah wished she could punt Monoputa into a wall and get away with it.

_I know loooots about what you like, Sarah! Not just you, either! I got you another present; actually, I got everyone presents like it! Check your bookshelf! I think it will be very useful in getting used to life here!_

_Thank you for being my guest!_

_XOXOXOXOXO,_

_Monoputa_

Monoputa had drawn a crappy little doodle of him grinning and flashing a thumbs up next to his loopy signature.

_Something… to help with life here?_ Before her conscious could start protesting, Sarah found herself walking towards her bookshelf. On it, sticking out quite a bit in comparison to what was already there, was a book that was bright red.

_That DEFINITELY wasn’t there before…_

Sarah grabbed it and looked at the cover, her face falling.

_Life of Mutual Killing Participants Revealed!_

“What’s this…?” Sarah mumbled, backing up so she could sit on her bed. She opened up the book to a random page and she nearly shouted in surprise at what she saw.

Of _course_ she opened right to a page that had Judgement Boy’s photo on it. On the left page was a full body photo of him smiling happily… but it was covered in bright red letters that read _DEAD DEAD DEAD DEAD…_ Monoputa had even provided a lovely shot on the right of Judgement Boy’s dead body being held by a grieving Judgement Boy Gold.

Sarah quickly switched to another page…which wound up being one dedicated to her.

Sarah’s photo was of her standing with her hands behind her back and a wide smile on her face. Sarah certainly didn’t remember getting that photo taken…

What was more concerning was the text written next to her photo.

It was several paragraphs about her personality, her likes, her dislikes… and her weaknesses.

_The way to Sarah’s heart is to earn her trust!_ Monoputa had written. _If you want to get her alone so you can do her in, make sure you win her over first! She’d despair from your betrayal and die in tears! What could be better than that?_

Sarah couldn’t take this anymore. Her stomach churned as she closed the book, moving it aside. She needed a palate cleanser, and _fast._

Grabbing the nearest novel, Sarah promptly engrossed herself in that book’s world, trying not to think about what Monoputa had created.

So much for cheering up everyone with his gifts… Sarah should have known there would be a catch.

 

_GHS_

 

Sarah sighed and put the book down. She had read the thing cover to cover and hardly felt any better. She looked to the door. _Maybe I should just get some fresh air._ Sarah walked into the hallway and hadn’t even taken two steps when she spotted Gunman walking in her direction. They spotted each other about the same time and headed towards one another.

“Senorita, your present, what did you receive?” Gunman asked, his eyes huge with concern.

Sarah was a little taken aback by his urgency. “Besides a bunch of novels, I got this weird book, it had information on everyone! You got the same thing, right?”

“Si, and you know what this means?!” Sarah opened her mouth to respond but Gunman continued anyway, his knees knocking. “Everyone knows my weakness! Whoever’s out to get me will know what to do!”

“I know. And whoever wants to kill me will know what to do too,” Sarah looked at him with worry. “Did you get any personalized presents?” _At least mine was something I liked, but other people might have gotten terrible ones._

Gunman nodded. “Si, I got my revolvers back!” He drew his guns and twirled them around his fingers, looking significantly more confident. “It makes me feel a little better to have these back. But where did Monoputa get them?” He lifted one of his guns up closer to his face.

“And how did he know _what_ to get?” Sarah added.

“Is Monoputa telling you to end it all too?” Mummy Papa asked as he dawdled up the hallway towards them, his eyes on Cactus Gunman’s revolver.

“End it all?” Sarah echoed in confusion. “What do you mean?”

Mummy Papa pulled out a huge pill, longer than his two outstretched hands. Half of the pill was a bright yellow while the other was a dark bluey purple with large white specks. “Monoputa’s note told me that this pill would shut down my heart if I wanted to end my suffering.”

“Ay carumba! That’s crazy!” Gunman exclaimed, his guns clattering to the floor as his sweaty hands lost their grip. He promptly picked them up and put them in their holsters.

“Y-you’re not going to do it, are you?” Sarah clarified.

“I don’t…know…” Mummy Papa said slowly. “Maybe…if I get a painful disease…”

_Well… It’s better than a yes,_ Sarah thought as she exchanged a worried glance with Cactus Gunman. Suddenly, deep laughter echoed throughout the hallway, followed by a feminine sigh. Gunman, being the fastest and most nervous, quickly flung his head to face that direction. Sarah followed suit and it took a few more seconds before Mummy Papa realized they were looking at something.

Catherine was walking towards them, down the hallway, with her hands clasped together on her heart and her eyes gazing into the distance. Sarah was surprised she hadn’t crashed into anything. She strolled down the hall sighing and laughing away to no one in particular, not even noticing the six curious eyes on her. As Catherine was about to pass them by, Sarah called out her name.

“Oh!” Catherine jumped back in surprise. “I’m sorry, dears. I didn’t see you there. What can I help you with? Are you feeling good today, Mummy Papa?”

“Oh, yes. Much better than normal,” Mummy Papa assured her. “And if things get worse I can always end it all.”

Catherine frowned. “What do you-”

“Catherine?” Sarah interrupted. She didn’t want this discussion to go on the medicinal track while everyone still had that question in their minds. “Why were you laughing and sighing?”

The lizard blushed a little. “Well, after receiving my copies of my favourite magazine, I thought I’d pay Hell’s Chef a little visit!” She giggled to herself. “He was certainly happy today, going on about his gift. Seeing him that way… It makes me all giddy, oooh!” She twisted side to side to express her joy.

_Chef’s gift? That’s right, Monoputa said his was in the kitchen. I wonder what it could be…_ Sarah thought. _Guess I should go find out… anything that could make someone like HIM happy must be big…_

“Mind if I tag along?” Sarah asked, stepping away from the group.

“ _Why?”_ Cactus Gunman squinted at her. “Hell’s Chef is-”

Catherine glared daggers at him and Cactus Gunman let out a little yelp.

“…Hell’s Chef is… you know…” Cactus Gunman lowered his voice so Catherine wouldn’t hear. Sarah turned to face him and hushed her voice.

“I’m just going to see what he’s so happy about. I just…can’t imagine him being happy. Ever.”

Cactus Gunman couldn’t argue with that.

Sarah gave him a little smile that she hoped was reassuring. “Don’t worry, I won’t do anything to piss him off.”

Catherine let out a little sigh, more indignant than her earlier dreamy ones. “Are you coming, Sarah?”

“Sorry, Catherine!” Sarah flashed her a sheepish grin and the two of them began walking down the hallway together.

Cactus Gunman turned to Mummy Papa, who was gazing at the pill in his hands forlornly.

“…you aren’t really going to ever use that, are you, senor?” Gunman asked, his brow knitted.

Mummy Papa looked at the pill, blinking slowly. After a few moments, he deposited the pill in his pocket and let out a long, drawn out sigh.

“…We’ll see how things go.” After flashing Gunman a thin smile, he headed back towards his room.

Gunman felt a chill run down his spine. Hugging himself, he found himself mindlessly wandering towards his sister’s room.

Everyone was already going crazy… he hoped he could at least keep his beloved sister from going off the deep end.

 

_GHS_

 

“Hell’s Cheeeeef~!” Catherine sang as she sashayed into the kitchen, Sarah meekly following behind her.

“We… we came to check on you…” Sarah figured she’d try to be friendly with Hell’s Chef. She tentatively approached him, a tiny smile on her face. He couldn’t be all bad if he was friends with Angel Dog, right?

Hell’s Chef was stirring something in an enormous pot, his back turned to Sarah and Catherine. Sarah realised he was so engrossed in his cooking that he didn’t even notice the two women enter. Either than or he didn’t bother to react to their arrival. Once Sarah got close, though, he certainly acknowledged her. He squinted at her and turned back to his soup, taking an enormous spoonful of it.

“So, we heard you got a-NMM!” Without warning, Hell’s Chef shoved the spoon in Sarah’s mouth, completely burning her tongue on the hot soup.

“AHH!” Catherine jumped a bit in surprise, and silently glared at Sarah. Why was _she_ the one to get fed by him?

“How is it?” Hell’s Chef asked, leaning back and resting a fist on a hip. Sarah looked into his eyes and had a feeling her answer could mean the difference between life and death one day.

Sarah swallowed the soup and wiped a bit that had escaped her lips off her chin. She grinned at Chef and exclaimed: “It’s great! You’re really talented!”

It wasn’t a lie. The soup had been flavorful, with a great texture. It was hot as hell and Sarah was sure she’d have to spend a few days recovering from the burn, but Hell’s Chef didn’t have to know that.

“I know,” Hell’s Chef gave Sarah a look that made her know he was smirking under his high collar before turning his attention back to the soup. “I knew getting it back would help my cooking be as good as before…”

“'It?’” Catherine parroted, sidling up to Hell’s Chef with her hands behind her back.

Hell’s Chef looked at her for a few seconds, and, scoffing, muttered: “Monoputa told me not to show anyone, but…”

Hell’s Chef lumbered over to the fridge and, reaching behind it, pulled out something silver, glimmering, and _huge._

Chef turned to the two women, holding a knife that was almost as big as he was.

Sarah and Catherine gaped at him, the latter’s jaw practically on the floor.

“W-w-where did you get that?” Sarah spluttered, hoping that her question wouldn’t set off Hell’s Chef’s temper.

“Ugh, it’s filthy…” Chef ran a finger along the dull part of the blade, his brow creased. “I shouldn’t keep it behind the fridge…”

“Was that your gift?” Catherine’s eyes traced down the knife. “It’s certainly…big…” It took everything in Catherine’s power not to start dreaming up what she could do with a needle that size.

“Mm,” Hell’s Chef nodded at her. “But… this belonged to me before. I remember it. Monoputa said he kept it in… his secret stash, or something like that. The fact that he stole this from me…” Hell’s Chef’s grip tightened on his knife. “…it just makes me _hate_ him even more.”

“If you say things like that, he’ll start messing with you…” Sarah warned.

“And if you try to hurt him, he’ll probably _kill_ you!” Catherine looked like she’d faint at the thought of that. “I’d hate for anything to happen to you!”

“Angel Dog said the same thing…” Hell’s Chef huffed. “Fine. I’ll control myself. The last thing I want to do is die.” Hell’s Chef looked at the boarded-up window over the kitchen sink, shaking his head slightly. “I don’t want to die like that murderer did. _Pathetic.”_

Sarah opened her mouth to defend Judgement Boy, but she realized picking a fight with a knife-toting guy who was three times her size wouldn’t be the best idea and reluctantly closed it.

“You’re much smarter than he was, I’m sure,” Catherine beamed at Hell’s Chef.

Sarah was overcome with an overwhelming urge to change the subject. “Hey, guys?” she asked, feeling a little small when Catherine and Hell’s Chef turned to her. “Did you get a book too?”

“Oh, _that,”_ Hell’s Chef’s face twisted beneath his collar. “I read three words of it and I burned it.”

“I kept mine…” Catherine admitted. “I wasn’t sure what to do with it! It’s horrifying, but… I’m really curious…”

“Curiosity is going to get someone killed!” Sarah exclaimed, her face heating up. “That book has advice on how to kill each and every one of us!”

Chef huffed and gently leaned his knife against the counter before turning back to his soup. “If it bothers you so much, call a meeting.”

“That’s…actually not a bad idea…” Sarah blinked at Hell’s Chef, kind of impressed.

“I won’t go,” Hell’s Chef stated as he grabbed something off the spice rack.

“I will,” Catherine nodded at Sarah, which made her feel a little better. “We can’t let people take this book’s advice. I can tell just by looking that everyone’s on edge… you didn’t read the whole thing, did you?”

Sarah bit her lip and shook her head. “I don’t have the stomach for it.”

“I don’t either,” Catherine tapped a pointed nail on her chin. “But we can’t ignore the fact that it could contain vital information…”

Chef whipped around, his eyes narrowed to scowling red slits. “You two are _DIS-TRACT-ING ME!_ Get out of my kitchen!”

“Don’t you know that’s no way to talk to women?!” Catherine glared right back at him. “I expected better from you!”

“I said get _out!”_ Hell’s Chef pointed at the door.

“We… better do what he says!” Sarah grabbed Catherine by the wrist and dragged her out the door.

 

_GHS_

 

Sarah pulled open the drawers of her desk, searching for what she needed. Despite Hell’s Chef’s dismissive attitude, he actually had a point. Those books everyone had gotten were just going to lead to more trouble and getting everyone together to discuss the problem was definitely going to make everyone feel more secure. Maybe even save lives! So after parting with Catherine, Sarah went back to her room to start organizing.

Sarah sighed as she shut her drawer and pulled open another one. “Aha! There it is. I knew I saw this before…”

She pulled out a stationary kit from the drawer and began to write the same message down over and over on separate sheets of paper, but each time with a different recipient. Sarah looked down at her writing.

_At 4pm, meet with me and everyone else in the lobby. We need to talk about our new presents._

_\- Sarah_

She knew seeking out one person after the other wasn’t very efficient as she’d be running all over the hotel trying to track down each and every person, so sliding a note under everyone’s doors was her best shot. Once she was done, she put away her kit and collected all the messages in an untidy pile. Before she went to the door, she stopped and rifled through the papers. She ripped out the one to Hell’s Chef and put it in the bin. _He’s already made his opinion on this clear._

Outside, Sarah systematically slid a message under each door she came across. When she reached Gunman’s door, Sarah crossed her fingers and tentatively slid the paper underneath. In a few seconds, a huge shriek was heard on the other side.

“AIIIIIIEEEE! WHERE DID THIS PAPER COME FROM?!” Gunman yelled. Sarah only just had time to straighten up before the door swung open. “S-senorita?! Did you send me this note?”

“Yeah… Sorry if I scared you. I didn’t know if you were in,” Sarah explained sheepishly.

“It is fine, senorita. I thought it may have been a trap sent to lead me to my doom, but if it’s just you then I have nothing to worry about!” Gunman picked up the note and quickly read it. “I see! Amazing idea, senorita! I will certainly be attending. I’d do anything to stop people reading these books…”

“Well, I hope you don’t mind helping me out then,” Sarah split her pile in half and gave one of the halves to Gunman who accepted eagerly. “The sooner these are handed out, the better. Just slip these under everyone’s doors, okay?”

“Si, senorita,” Gunman nodded with confidence. “You can count on me.” He shut his door behind him as he stepped out of the doorway and began to head away. “Adios!”

“See you soon!” Sarah smiled, before starting to distribute the messages again.

_In a few hours, this place might be a whole lot safer for all of us…_


	9. The Brave New World

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Here you go, guys! <3_   
>  _Lovely illustrations by shortlifelongart! The way she draws facial expressions is amazing~_   
>  _I’d like to thank Ven for doing an AWESOME job with Angel Dog’s super long exploration free time event; she’s a great cowriter ;w;_   
>  _Steve’s freetime will be in the second part since this chapter ran long. What else is new, though?_   
>  _Without further ado, here’s the chapter! Let us know how you like it~_

Sarah, in her anxiety, had showed up to the lobby half an hour early, sitting on one of the couches with her copy of the book on her lap. She wondered if anyone would even actually show… Clock Master and Gregory had passed through the lobby, but neither of them even acknowledged her.

Sarah’s fear was put to rest when Steve walked into the lobby, hugging his book to his chest with a sheepish expression on his face.

“Hey, uh…” Steve looked around the empty room, his eyebrows knitting together. “…am I the only one who actually came to this meeting?”

Sarah cast a quick glance at the clock on the wall. “It’s not even four yet, Steve. Hopefully you won’t end up being the only one…”

“I hope more people think this _thing_ is terrible…” Steve huffed a sigh and turned the book over to look at the cover. “It’s so thick… and I only read one page of it. I can only imagine what would happen if someone read it cover to cover…”

“They’d go insane,” a third voice chimed in. Steve jumped a little and looked up to see Neko Zombie, his book under his arm. “That’s what would happen. But we can’t just tell everyone to get rid of these…” Neko Zombie shook his head.

“Why not?” Sarah asked, folding her arms. “I think that’s a perfectly viable option. Hell’s Chef burned his.”

“I know Monoputa would just keep giving them to us,” Neko Zombie made himself comfortable on the couch across from Sarah and Steve, curling his tail around himself. “He seems like his sole purpose in life is to make us miserable.” Neko Zombie sighed and shook his head. “He’s doing a hell of a good job. Have you seen how Mummy Papa has been lately?”

“No,” Steve’s eyes grew large, fearing the worst. “What’s he doing?”

Sarah felt a little reluctant to give this information to the already jittery boy. She exchanged a quick glance with Neko Zombie whose gaze seemed to say ‘it’s no use hiding it’. The delay just made Steve more apprehensive and he looked back and forth between them, a bead of sweat trickling down the side of his head.

“He… is maybe thinking about suicide,” Sarah admitted. “Monoputa’s 'gift’ to him was a pill that could stop his heart.”

“That’s… terrible…” Steve didn’t know what to say. He simply hugged his book to his chest again and cast his gaze downward, biting his lip.

The conversation became minimal at best after that. Once four o'clock finally came, a few others trickled in. Cactus Gunman and Cactus Girl, Catherine, Angel Dog, and Mummy Papa all joined the meeting.

“This is a much better turnout than I expected!” Sarah commented once Mummy Papa stumbled into a chair. “I wish everyone could have come, though…”

“Believe me,” Angel Dog huffed, twirling her wand around. “I _tried_ to get Chef to come, but he isn’t budging. He’s been working on a giant meal all day… and when I mentioned the books he got all growly.”

“I didn’t know… he could read…” Mummy Papa yawned hugely, blood dripping off his head and onto the cover of the book.

Angel Dog glared at Mummy Papa. “I’m gonna pretend I didn’t hear that. He’s been kinda weird since he got his gift back. I’ll make _sure_ he doesn’t do anything drastic, though!”

“So will I!” Catherine announced. “I’ve been meaning to spend more time with him…” She rested a hand on her cheek with a dreamy sigh.

“What did he receive, senorita?” Gunman smiled gently at Angel Dog, despite the chill settling in his gut.

“…” Angel Dog’s eyes darted around everyone’s faces and, sighing, she said:  
“Okay, but don’t freak out! It was a really, REALLY big knife! Chef said it was his to begin with and he seems like he loves it a lot…”

“Oh my God…” Steve covered his mouth with one hand, his eyes bulging.

“Chef seems like he values self-preservation…” Neko Zombie leaned back in his chair, nodding sagely. “Whenever I go in the kitchen to get snacks, he tenses up and keeps an eye on me. I don’t think he’d risk murdering anyone. We all know what happens when the murderer gets caught…”

“W-we shouldn’t gossip about him like this!” Cactus Girl warned, casting a nervous glance at the kitchen door. “If he overheard…”

“Eep…” Gunman shuddered at the thought.

Angel Dog sighed. “Good point, Cactus Girl. Catherine and I will make sure he doesn’t put a toe out of line.”

“Did anyone else get a weapon as a gift…?” Mummy Papa inquired, scratching his chin.

“Me,” Cactus Gunman raised his hand. “I got my guns back. B-but I plan to only use them in self-defense! And even then, I have no intent to murder!”

“You _better_ not!” Cactus Girl chastised, folding her arms tightly.

“Hey, Cactus Girl, what did you get?” Steve asked, smiling warmly at her.

Cactus Girl jumped and promptly pulled her neckerchief up over her face, turning away from Steve. “Th-that’s a secret…”

“If we talk about who has weapons and who doesn’t…” Neko Zombie sounded a little miffed. “…that will just make us more paranoid. We shouldn’t turn against each other since we have one common enemy.”

“Monoputa?” Angel Dog tilted her head at Neko Zombie, who nodded.

“Exactly.”

“Neko Zombie’s right… as usual,” Sarah gave the cat a pale smile. “We really need to figure out a way to get out of here without bending over backwards trying to follow Monoputa’s rules.”

“Monoputa’s just _awful._ I can’t believe what he put in this book,” Catherine looked at Steve, who looked a little startled. “Steve, did you see the anatomy page?”

“UGH,” Cactus Girl’s hands balled into fists.

“The what?” Steve had a bad feeling he’d regret asking.

Catherine flipped through the book and, shaking her head, stopped on the correct page. She turned it around to show Steve and he yelped.

Monoputa had used an image of Steve to show the body’s weak points. Many arrows stabbed into the picture, with descriptions of the best way to take advantage of that particular body part’s vulnerabilities.

“What did I do to deserve this?!” Steve sounded like he was about to cry. “Now everyone’s going to go after me!”

“We won’t!” Cactus Girl assured him. “None of us plan on murdering anyone else. Right?”

“Mmm-hmm,” Mummy Papa said slowly.

“I’d rather die than be executed,” Neko Zombie said seriously. Frowning, his cheeks colored a bit and he added: “That… sounded better in my head.”

Everyone else agreed and Steve let out a sigh of relief.

“I’ve been doing my best to keep Devil Dog from rearing her ugly head…” Angel Dog blushed a bit and fiddled with her hair. “I… can’t speak for her in terms of murderous intent. She hasn’t been around since the trial, though!”

“Thankfully…” Steve shook a bit.

“You cannot, under any circumstances, let her get her hands on this book!” Sarah warned, squinting at Angel Dog. Sarah felt awfully betrayed when the sweet Angel Dog turned into a monster in the middle of the trial, so she was having great difficulty trusting her. “Hide it in your room!”

“I will,” Angel Dog nodded, but she turned up her nose at Sarah and added: “No need to be so snippy with me.”

“Senorita, everyone’s really on edge…” Cactus Gunman twiddled his pointer fingers together as he smiled nervously at Angel Dog. “Please try not to argue. We came here to discuss these books, yes?”

Angel Dog flitted her wings and frowned at Sarah before shaking her head. “Ah, he’s right. Sorry,” she grinned a little.

“Did anyone else see anything that was cause for alarm?” Catherine asked, eager to get back to the books.

“The fact that Monoputa wrote down the best ways to kill all of us…” Cactus Girl shuddered, hugging herself. “I’m more than capable of defending myself, but now I have to watch my brother’s back too…”

“Seester, don’t worry about me, I have guns!” Cactus Gunman protested, his cheeks reddening.

“We all know how good your aim is…” she grumbled, rolling her eyes. “He’d probably aim for his attacker’s leg and accidentally shoot them in the face and get himself executed.” She whispered to Catherine, who giggled.

“Sounds like you have your hands full.” Catherine gave Cactus Girl a reassuring smile. “You seem like you don’t mess around, though. If anyone can do it, it’s you.”

Cactus Girl couldn’t help blushing at that. “Th-thank you!”

“Are you two talking about me?” Cactus Gunman asked, his face reddening even more. “I’m right here, you know!”

Sarah couldn’t help smiling. Those three certainly seemed to get along… maybe she was focusing on the bad and not focusing on the good. James’ murder had been accidental, after all… maybe no one here would actually kill someone on purpose!

“You’re smiling,” Neko Zombie commented, leaning forward. “You feeling more optimistic about all of this again? I thought you’d be gloomy forever…”

“Well, my view has been pessimistic,” Sarah admitted. “Nothing is going to get done if I just hang my head and give up.” A glimmer of hope shone in her eyes, her drive returning. “Which is why I need to stay positive and do all I can to protect us.”

“That’s a little…over the top,” Neko Zombie mewled. He didn’t understand how she could be so optimistic about anything.

“An attitude like that just might be what saves us from another murder,” Cactus Girl said, turning serious after her bout of giggles.

Sarah gave Cactus Girl a grateful grin. “Thanks. I’m not going to go blindly trusting people, and I know there is no rule to enforce this, but for what it’s worth we should promise not to open these books ever again. Even better, tuck them away and try to forget about them.”

“Isn’t there a phrase about that…?” Mummy Papa put his hand on his chin and thought hard, trying to conjure the words.

Catherine seemed concerned. “Now dear, you shouldn’t strain yourself. It’s bad for your health. Keep it up and I might need to do more _tests.”_

Sarah couldn’t help feeling a bit uncomfortable by the way she said that last word. Even Steve was starting to look uncomfortable. As all eyes darted to her, she looked around and chuckled nervously.

“Eheh, you mean 'out of sight, out of mind’ don’t you, Mummy Papa?” Catherine prompted.

“Yeah,” his face relaxed and his hand dropped to his side. “That’s it.”

“Well, I think that’s a great idea!” Angel Dog seemed overly happy as she tried to bring back the comfortable mood. “I’ll start! I-”

“Whoa whoa WHOA!” Monoputa jumped out of nowhere and stood on the table, his arms spread out to their full length. Everyone in the room shrieked, particularly Gunman who had cowered into a little ball. Monoputa looked at everyone with a puzzled expression. “Is this… trust I see forming?” He clutched his stomach and gave a huge bellowing laugh. “How naive! Sarah even said there is no way to hold someone to such a pathetic promise! You could promise all you want if it gets you to sleep soundly at night, but just as you _close_ your eyes, someone might _open_ the book!”

Cactus Girl folded her arms and glared at the prompter, trying to hide her embarrassment from screaming. “What do you want, Monoputa?”

“I doubt he’s come for _fun,”_ Sarah rolled her eyes and showed open hostility to his presence. _Just when I was getting somewhere with this meeting…_

“Depends on your definition of fun! For me, increasing your despair is _so_ much fun!” Monoputa grinned and winked at his audience. “Sadly, I’m not gonna increase your despair just yet. I came to tell ya that A BRAND NEW WORLD HAS OPENED!” He announced before frowning at the floor. “Man, I gotta say that over the PA. Have to get the rest of you bastards in here anyway!” Monoputa laughed.

He turned around, cleared his throat and pulled a little something out of his pocket. He spoke into it and his voice rang throughout the hotel.

“Attention, everyone! A BRAND NEW WORLD HAS OPENED!” Sarah covered her ears and winced at the volume. Monoputa quickly glanced over his shoulder and grinned. “Told ya I’d say it!” He then went back to the announcement. “So get to the lobby STAT! It’s not nice to keep a cute guy waiting~”

Within minutes, everyone had arrived, some more late than others to which Monoputa glared intensely and gave them an earful.

“What’s going on?” Roulette Boy looked around uncertainly, sucking up a bit of drool. “What’s 'brand new world’ mean? I wanna know _now!_ ”

Hell’s Chef folded his arms and looked away, immediately coming to the conclusion that “It’s a trick.”

“It is?!” Clock Master exclaimed. “Then I left my wine unattended for nothing! It’s not quality, but I still need it!”

Hell’s Chef glared at him as though putting two pieces of information together but said nothing.

“And _I_ was in the middle of composing a _great_ piece!” Poor Conductor sighed tragically. “Oh, I may never get back that spurt of creative genius!”

The room erupted into chatters as people complained about what they had been doing and what they _could_ be doing. Sarah said nothing, but she still pondered what might have transpired had Monoputa not reared his ugly head.

“Shuuut uuuup!” Monoputa yelled, and a harsh silence engulfed the crowd. “I do all this for you guys and you won’t even let me speak. I’m hurt! Don’t you want to see the brand new world?” Nobody spoke, unsure as to whether the “brand new world” was a good thing or not. “Too bad! You don’t get a say!” Monoputa snarled, turning on his heel. “All of you are going to follow me or you’re gonna really regret it!”

With that, he began strolling towards the library hallway. Everyone glanced at each other and, deciding they didn’t want to risk death, began following Monoputa.

 

_GHS_

 

“Ta-ta-ta-DAH!” Monoputa spun around once they reached the staircase, posing with his hands on his hips and his head tilted to the side. “Look at that! Are you guys happy?”

The grate that had covered the staircase just a few days ago was completely gone.

“Y-you uncovered the stairs?” Sarah wasn’t sure whether to be happy or not. After all, she had no idea what was up there.

“I sure did!” Monoputa winked at her. “About damn time too, the bath’s up there and all of you are _really_ starting to reek. Especially Hell’s Chef. I can’t believe you guys let someone who smells like _that_ cook for you!”

Hell’s Chef’s hands balled into tight fists.

“Is it a…” Gregory smirked a bit. “…community bath?”

“You bet!” Monoputa winked at Gregory, who began quietly drooling to himself. Catherine glanced at him and gestured that she’d be watching him, but Gregory was off in his own little world.

“Woooow, a whole new floor to play on!” Roulette Boy bounced, his spinner whirling around with excitement. “This is _awesome!”_

“What else is up there?” Gregory Mama asked, smoothing her hair. She was quite eager to finally get clean again… she refused to wash herself in the sink like everybody else.

“That’s a secret!” Monoputa giggled. “But maybe Clock Master knows.” He glanced slyly at him.

The clock was stunned to have all this attention on him. “What? I beg your pardon?”

“Can you _smell it_ , Clock Master?” Monoputa taunted. “Can you _smelllll_ it?”

Clock Master sniffed the air uncertainly and looked just as puzzled as before. “No. What in the name of sanity are you on about?”

Monoputa sighed with disappointment but perked himself up. “Well, you will~! You have a nose for these things!”

“Just what makes Clock Master any different?” Neko Zombie inquired.

“Anyway,” Monoputa continued, ignoring the question. “All of you are free to explore as you wish! Make sure to thank Judgement Boy and James; they’re the reason this place is open, after all! Who knows, they might be listening!”

“Don’t you DARE bring that up!” Judgement Boy Gold and Gregory yelled in unison, the latter’s face purpling with rage.

“Did I strike a nerve? I’m sorry…” Monoputa pouted at them. “And here I thought you’d be happy to see the positive side to their deaths!”

“There is no positive side!” Judgement Boy Gold shouted. “What you did to him was awful, and-”

“Hey, Sarah?” Sarah jumped when someone whispered in her ear. She turned to see Angel Dog, smiling sheepishly as she stood next to her. “I don’t want to stick around while all this depressing talk is going on… want to explore the new floor together?”

“With me? Why?” Sarah asked, having to lean awfully close to Angel Dog in order to be heard over Gold and Gregory’s loud ranting and Monoputa’s gleeful giggling.

“Well… I feel bad about snapping at you earlier…” Angel Dog gave Sarah a pathetic look that could melt even the iciest heart. “Plus you’re one of the only sane people here. Don’t tell anyone I said that, though.” She giggled. “So… what do you say? Shall we explore?”

“You know what? Sure. Why not?” Sarah grinned at Angel Dog. It would be a lot easier to explore upstairs with someone else… Sarah never felt safe when she was walking around alone. _Hopefully Devil Dog won’t show up…_

“Awe-sooooome~!” Angel Dog sang, grabbing Sarah by the hand and running upstairs. Sarah stumbled and nearly tripped but managed to keep up with her. It seemed everyone else was either too busy or didn’t care about the girls leaving since no one even took a glance in their direction.

At the top of the stairs, the two girls found themselves in a hallway. There was a door to their right and the hallway extended around a corner to their left. It was lit dimly with candles like the lower level and the walls had mould sparsely scattered across the rotting wood. The wooden floor was in relatively good condition and was covered with a red carpet that didn’t quite extend to it’s width. _That red rug there is just here to mock us,_ Sarah scowled, knowing rugs of that colour were reserved for celebrities and other famous people. _Monoputa’s such a jerk._

“Which way do you want to go, Sarah?” Angel Dog asked eagerly looking at both options.

Sarah sized up the options and shrugged. “Let’s try the hallway.”

“Of course! C'mon this’ll be fun!” Angel Dog laughed, fluttering around the corner.

Sarah couldn’t help but smile as she followed. Angel Dog’s perkiness was contagious! _Exploring with her of all people was definitely a good decision, provided Devil Dog stays out of sight._

Around the corner, the hall extended into darkness. The candles certainly weren’t very good at lighting the entirety of the hall. Next to the girls was a single door coloured pink and in the distance, only _just_ in sight, was a similar one, but blue in colour. This pink door had a sign on it that read 'Girls’, and Angel Dog knocked on it curiously.

“What do you think these are? More bathrooms?” She brainstormed aloud.

“Why would we need so many bathrooms?” Sarah pondered.

Angel Dog looked puzzled. “Maybe they’re not then. Let’s go inside!” In a rush of excitement, Angel Dog gripped the door and swung it open.

“Good choice!” Monoputa exclaimed, appearing beside Sarah who jumped back a few feet.

“Hey, that wasn’t very nice!” Angel Dog tutted. “Just what do you want anyway?”

“Yeah, has it got to do with these doors?” Sarah asked, glaring at Monoputa and subconsciously gripping the skirt fabric between her legs in case he got any ideas.

“Ding ding ding!” Monoputa sang. “I told you that there would be a communal bath up here! What you’re walking through is the girls’ changing room and the boys’ is waaaaay up there.” He jerked his thumb in the direction of the blue door. “It’s a big bath, so only one gender can bathe at once! I will not tolerate any funny business or dirty activities here so I’m keeping a close eye on these doors. If a boy enters the girls changing room or vice versa, WHAMMO! INSTANT DEATH! Isn’t that great?!”

“Seriously?!” Sarah exclaimed in disbelief. “Isn’t that a little extreme?!”

“Zero tolerance, Sarah,” Monoputa chided, wagging a finger at her. “Zero tolerance.”

“B-but the others don’t know about that!” Angel Dog looked worried for her friends’ safety. “You have to tell them!”

Monoputa sighed and dragged his hand down his face. “You guys are so _needy!_ Fine, I’ll tell them. Tch, I do all this work and all you do is _complain.”_

Leaving them with that, Monoputa disappeared and in seconds his voice was heard over the PA.

“Listen up, you bastards! The bath house in our BRAND NEW WORLD has a male and female entrance. If any sickos, and I’m looking at you, Gregory, want to use the _wrong door…_ Well there will be less residents and participants in this lovely game of mutual killing. Enjoy yourselves!”

Angel Dog sighed and looked down at the floor. “Well that put a damper on my spirits…”

Sarah put her hand on Angel Dog’s shoulder and she looked up. “Cheer up, Angel Dog; there’s still plenty of places left to explore. I don’t know about you, but I’m looking forward to using the bath house.”

Angel Dog smiled sweetly. “Yeah so am I! I bet _all_ the girls will love it.” She raised a finger and Sarah could practically see the light bulb flicking on above her head. “I know! We can all bathe together! Won’t that be fun?”

Sarah had never used a communal bath before, but figured it couldn’t hurt. It would certainly boost morale and she might even have a good time!

“Sure, let’s do it!” Sarah agreed. “But let’s leave that until later; I still want to look around some more.”

Angel Dog giggled as she shut the girls’ entrance. “Me too! Let’s go!” She began flying in the direction of the blue door and Sarah followed, but not quite keeping pace. Angel Dog turned around to check up on her and realized her flying was a little too fast. “C'mon Sarah, I know you can keep up!”

Her motivational talk warmed Sarah’s heart a little and she quickened her pace. When they came to the corner, the hall split up in two directions. Straight ahead was another staircase leading to the floor below and to their left was another door. This one was brown and the red carpet led up to it. Sarah could hear voices on the other side.

“Well, we’re not going back the way we came,” Sarah reaffirmed.

“Brown door it is!” Angel Dog gave Sarah a pretty smile as she pulled back the door for her.

What was on the other side was not so pretty… Through the door was a walkway that resembled a wooden bridge. It was suspended above a dreary looking garden below which grew herbs and slightly unkempt roses. There was only one door which led to the area which Sarah recognised as the door in the back of the kitchen. To prevent anyone from jumping down, glass windows had been put up along the walkway. It seemed Monoputa wanted the garden to be off-limits so Sarah rightly assumed the door to the garden was locked.

As Sarah and Angel Dog went through the doorway, the former being the only one that walked, they saw Gregory Mama scowling, her face pressed up against a glass window. Behind her was an upset Gregory and a little off to the side was Poor Conductor who seemed to be off in his own little world.

“Why isn’t Monoputa letting us down there?!” Gregory Mama angrily asked nobody in particular. “I _need_ those roses! They’d look just lovely in my hair!” She turned sharply to her son. “Do something about it, Gregory!”

Gregory looked bewildered. “What? Me? But Mama, what am I supposed to do?”

“Tch, typical,” Gregory Mama snorted. “Ask him to let me in there!”

“But Mama…”

“Hey guys,” Sarah greeted as she walked a little closer, hoping to dissolve the tension a little.

Gregory Mama glanced over at them and grunted while Gregory seemed a little relieved at their appearance. _He’s probably hoping we’ll be some sort of distraction so he doesn’t have to do his mother’s bidding._

“Yeah, hi everyone!” Angel Dog chimed. “Oh, and Gregory Mama? Sarah and I were thinking the girls could all bathe together in the communal baths. Are you going to come?” She smiled sweetly.

Gregory looked like he perked up at the mention of this and was listening slyly. Sarah didn’t know what was worse, bathing with not only a bunch of people, but possibly an old crone as well or Gregory’s suggestive expression at the mention of the subject. Either way, she felt slightly reluctant to go in the public bath now. Gregory Mama paused to consider this.

“Well if I’m going to wear that rose, I’m going to need to smell like one too…” She mumbled, her finger on her chin. “Fine, I’ll accompany you.”

“Great!” Angel Dog exclaimed, doing a little twirl. “I’ll let you know when I’m getting all the girls together.”

Gregory Mama just huffed and went back to staring longingly at the roses. Completely oblivious to the conversation, Poor Conductor was still gazing off into space, humming slightly. Angel Dog flew in front of him and waved her wand in his face, making sparkles rain down onto the floor.

“Yoohoo~” She called. “You there?”

Poor Conductor snapped into reality and backpedalled, looking distraught. “Oh! Oh, oh! How _could_ you, Angel Dog?” He complained.

Angel Dog tilted her head. “What? Are you feeling okay?”

“Not any mooooore!” He whined. “I was remembering…” A spotlight cast over his solemn figure and he looked up dramatically. “…a piece I once heard. A song that used to bring joy to the hearts of millions; to children everywhere! A song that-”

“For goodness sake, be quiet!” Gregory Mama snapped, her eyes like fire. The spotlight faded away. “No one wants to listen to you, you buffoon! _Some_ people have important issues to deal with! Like me!”

Poor Conductor touched a hand to his chest and looked offended. “Are you implying your looks are more important than legendary music?”

Gregory was horrified, knowing this could only end badly. He frantically mimed to Poor Conductor to stop in as many ways as he could think of.

“Don’t be ridiculous! Of _course_ they are!” Gregory Mama scoffed. “And I-”

“My word,” Poor Conductor interrupted, studying Gregory who was still going and frankly looking fairly ridiculous. Sarah stifled a laugh and a concerned Angel Dog flew to her side. “Is that an interpretive dance?”

Gregory instantly stopped. “Huh? What? No! Of course not!”

But Poor Conductor wasn’t listening. He was already off on a tangent again. “Oh how simply _inspiring!_ It reminds me of when I used to perform for _millions!_ When _real_ music was around!”

Gregory sighed and pulled his hand down his face. “For goodness sake, get with the times, man!”

Angel Dog flew closer to Sarah’s ear and whispered “I think we should go. Conversations with these crazy old rats go nowhere. We could be here forever and I want to move on.”

“Same,” Sarah whispered back and made a start for the door on the other side.

“Well, it was fun talking to you all! See you around!” Angel Dog happily announced as she too made for the exit.

Nobody responded, each in their own little world or conversation. Sarah sighed and went through the door. The hallway on the other side was practically a mirror image of the previous hall, red carpet and all.

“That was a close one!” Angel Dog laughed a little to try and brighten the mood.

“Yeah,” Sarah agreed. “I can’t stand that Poor Conductor to be honest,” she confessed.

Angel Dog completely understood and nodded in agreement. “Me either. What a whiny baby,” she frowned and placed her hands on her hips. “He could stand to be a little more modern. Now what’s this way?” She turned on the spot and flew around the corner, past the staircase with Sarah in tow.

Around the corner were two doors without nameplates that blended into the surroundings. Sarah walked up to the nearest one and, after exchanging a glance with Angel Dog, knocked cautiously. A flurry of footsteps was heard as though someone was in a rush, be it to hide something or get the door. _That’s odd. I certainly wouldn’t make such a large effort to get the door or clean up if I heard someone coming._ The door swung open to reveal Catherine with a casual smile plastered onto her face.

“Angel Dog, Sarah, what a pleasant surprise!” She greeted with a little laugh.

“Heya Catherine!” Angel Dog waved. “What’s in there?”

Catherine clasped her hands together and looked into the distance happily. “Ah, I’m _so_ glad you asked! Come in, come in!”

_It sure is nice to see her so happy. I wonder what could be making her feel this way._ Sarah and Angel Dog followed Catherine inside and she gestured happily to the room at large. The room was an enormous nurse’s office filled with medicine cabinets, patient beds, file cabinets, cupboards and a variety of medical equipment Sarah didn’t know what was used for.

“Isn’t it great?” Catherine said dreamily. “I can finally continue my work here taking care of you! And maybe even be able to prevent some deaths…” She looked a little startled when she realised she killed the mood and hurriedly continued. “But look, it has everything! Sedatives, headache medicines which I plan to administer to Mummy Papa, antacids… But sadly no needles.”

While Angel Dog seemed to think that reasonable, Sarah eyed Catherine suspiciously. _She looks a little_ _too_ _upset. I think I heard her mention needles like that before. I wonder what the story is behind this._

Catherine seemed to notice the look and hastily began to reassure her. “No need to worry, sweetie. I only want them to take care of you,” she chuckled a little creepily. “So I notice you two came up here before Monoputa finished speaking?”

“That’s right! We couldn’t stand anymore of his depressing talk,” Angel Dog sighed. “But we found some cool things like that bath house! You should join us for a dip! Don’t you think, Sarah?”

Sarah nodded, still a little uncertain about the idea. “Definitely.”

Catherine chuckled. “Sounds like a lovely idea. It seems getting up here early had it’s perks,” she winked. “I came up here late, however.” Catherine sighed dreamily and looked into space, continuing to explain herself. “I was watching Hell’s Chef cook. I was scared when he accidentally cut himself; he even bled a little! Who knew candles could bleed… He got embarrassed and, oh, it was absolutely adorable! So who do you two ladies fancy?”

Sarah opened her mouth to object but Catherine continued on with a knowing look.

“Don’t worry Sarah, I already see Cactus Gunman has a thing for you. You don’t need to explain yourself,” she smiled.

“H-hey! We aren’t like that!” Sarah protested. She really only thought of him as a friend and frankly she was a little reluctant to feel that way again after what happened to Judgement Boy.

“Aww, but you two would be so cute together!” Angel Dog insisted.

“Sure you aren’t, Sarah,” Catherine nodded understandingly but her tone hinted she didn’t believe her. “In fact, the man was looking for you. Him and Cactus Girl are next door in the gym.”

“They are?” Sarah echoed.

“Oooh, let’s go say hi!” Angel Dog squeed, grabbing Sarah’s hand and whisking her out of the room. She only just had time to say goodbye to Catherine.

The moment Sarah flew out the door of the nurse’s office, Sarah had a bad sense of foreboding. Once in the gym next door, Angel Dog said a big hello to it’s occupants and finally let go of Sarah’s hand which enabled her to get her balance back and look around the room. There was a large diversity in the equipment ranging from heavy weights, to cardio equipment such as treadmills to mats for performing floor exercises. Sarah was surprised to see Mummy Papa jogging on a treadmill, but she wasn’t surprised to see him exhausted from the effort. He didn’t have the energy to respond to Angel Dog. On the other side of the room, Cactus Gunman was lifting a weight in his right hand and grinning to his awed sister. She was torn between watching him and Steve, who was doing a good number of sit-ups, his face beet red.

“Hello!” He wheezed.

“Welcome,” Cactus Girl nodded to them. “Have you come to watch my brother lift?”

“Of course they have, seester.” Gunman assured her, still lifting his weight which Sarah realised wasn’t even that heavy. “Good to see you, senoritas! What do you think, Sarah? Am I strong?”

Angel Dog nudged Sarah’s side and she blushed. She really didn’t want to hurt his feelings so she nodded and formed her most convincing smile. “Definitely!”

Gunman laughed triumphantly and sped up his lifting, a cocky grin beneath his mustache.

“Cactus Girl!” Steve panted. “I’m reaching fifty!”

She turned to him and looked at him approvingly. “Si, trabajo bueno! Good work, Steve.” She looked at him curiously, her eyes filled with concern. “Do you need to stop? You look worn out.”

“Yeah,” Angel Dog agreed. “You should rest. It’s really important for your health!”

“He can rest if he doesn’t think he can keep up with me,” Gunman smirked, switching his weight to the other hand.

Steve performed one more sit-up then lied on the floor, sweat rolling off his face. “You’re right. I can’t do anymore… But I got to fifty six!” He laughed a little then panted some more.

“Good job!” Angel Dog cheered.

“Yeah, way to go, Steve,” Sarah added, grinning. “Why are you so determined to work out, though?”

“Isn’t it… obvious?” Steve panted, wiping the sweat from his brow. “I want to be able to… defend myself…” Steve coughed and wheezed. “But… maybe I’m pushing myself too hard.”

“You reached fifty-six though! Eres increible, Steve!” Cactus Girl approached him and crouched down, smiling at him. Cactus Gunman watched them wearily. “Uh… but you definitely look like you need to rest…”

_Looks like I’m not the only one Catherine will be chatting to about boys,_ Sarah smirked to herself then nudged Angel Dog who grinned back and giggled a little.

Steve looked away from Cactus Girl, his sweaty face reddening even more. “Yeah… I’ll nap… here…nnnn…”

Steve’s eyes rolled backwards and closed, his tongue lolling out of his mouth.

“Ayiyiyi, he passed out!” Cactus Girl covered her mouth in shock. “I-I’ll take him to Nurse Catherine!”

With that, she swept Steve up in her arms and blazed out the door at top speed, leaving the others gawking. This even caught Mummy Papa’s attention who tripped on the treadmill, faceplanted into its hard surface and rolled off.

“Oof…” He groaned.

“Ay carumba! What is happening?!” Gunman shrieked, tossing his weight across the room in his little fit.

“Mummy Papa!” Sarah cried. She and Angel Dog whisked over to his side in no time flat and helped him to his feet.

Gunman quickly abandoned his discarded weight and sprinted over too.

“That was some fall,” Angel Dog furrowed her brow in concern and briefly turned around to stop the treadmill. “Will you be alright? Do you need to see nurse Catherine too?”

“I’ve felt worse,” Mummy Papa assured, holding his head in his hands. “I think I just need to rest. Maybe that pill doesn’t look so bad now.”

“S-senor! You must be kidding!” Gunman gaped.

“You are _not_ taking that pill! I won’t allow it!” Angel Dog insisted.

“Don’t worry, I won’t take it. I was joking… I think…” Mummy Papa’s face twisted in deep thought and it looked like he was straining himself a lot. Sarah and Angel Dog exchanged a worried glance.

Suddenly a shrill cry echoed throughout the second floor.

“What’s happening this time?!” Angel Dog exclaimed.

“It came from outside,” Sarah echoed her thoughts. “Let’s go!”

Gunman looked reluctant. “D-do we have to?”

“Yes! Come on!” She grabbed his arm and pulled him with her as she headed for the door with Angel Dog in tow leaving Mummy Papa alone and confused.

“I-I’ll catch up,” he muttered then winced and gripped his head.

Sarah sprinted down the hall and around the corner, letting go of Gunman who found his feet and ran alongside her. _It’s not another murder. It can’t be another murder._

_Could it…?_


	10. TV Fish

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Hey guys! Ven and I have got another new chapter for you! :D Ahhh, look at all these wonderful, silly anime shenanigans! Nothing bad’s gonna happen in this chapter! Nope! Not at all!_   
>  _The wonderful illustration by the lovely shortlifelongart~_   
>  _I hope you guys enjoy the chapter! Please let me know what you think._

Sarah and Angel Dog rushed towards the source of the scream, Cactus Gunman not far behind them. Running through the door near the top the staircase and onto a balcony that overlooked the first floor below, they found Clock Master standing in the doorframe of the entrance to another room. He was supporting himself by gripping onto either side of it.

As the group got closer, Clock Master turned his head to face them, revealing that his eyes were wide and his mouth was gaping open.

“C-Clock Master? Why are you looking at us like that?” Angel Dog shrunk back, paling. She had a bad feeling about this…

“Oh, don’t tell me there’s another body, senor!” Cactus Gunman tugged at his sideburns. “Without a motive, too!”

“Please tell us what’s wrong!” Sarah urged, feeling sweat trickling down the back of her neck.

Suddenly, Clock Master burst into loud, triumphant laughter. He twirled around and grinned at the group.

“I found a BAR! A BAR! There’s a BAR here!” Clock Master pumped a fist in the air. “AND it’s fully stocked! I hit the JACKPOT!”

“Oh, thank goodness no one’s hurt!” Angel Dog breathed a sigh of relief.

“It’s just a bar?!” Sarah put her hands on her hips, narrowing her eyes at Clock Master. “Why’d you scream like that? You almost gave us all heart attacks!”

Clock Master blushed, his mustache reeling around his face as his mouth turned up into a guilty grin. “I-I’m really excitable when it comes to things like this! Look!” He gestured inside. “There’s even tequila!”

Cactus Gunman’s mouth dropped and he wordlessly blazed by Clock Master and into the bar. Clock Master laughed and said “See? He understands!” before following Gunman into the bar.

“Psh, men are so silly,” Angel Dog giggled.

“We might as well take a look inside though; I’m all for another place to relax…” Sarah hated to admit it to herself, but she wouldn’t be opposed to having a drink or two.

She wouldn’t be getting knockout drunk though, she wasn’t stupid. It didn’t take a genius to see that passing out in the bar would make you an easy target for a would-be murderer.

“We can have a look later!” Angel Dog stopped flying and tugged on Sarah’s hand. “I have a much better place to relax; let’s gather all the girls together and take that bath!”

“You think Cactus Girl will come?” Sarah inquired. “I’m sure she’d be worried about Steve.”

“She needs to relax too,” Angel Dog insisted. “I’m sure Steve’s fine by now. Him fainting must have gotten her all in a tizzy!” She giggled. “Hmm hmm, maybe we can talk to her about it~”

Sarah couldn’t help snickering at Angel Dog’s nosiness. Even in a situation like theirs, she could find something exciting to gossip about. Devil Dog might be horrifying, but Angel Dog was a genuine optimist.

“Let’s do it!” Sarah beamed at Angel Dog who smiled right back.

With that, the two girls went off to gather everyone else.

 

_GHS_

 

Steve felt himself drifting back to reality. He had fainted only briefly, but the cots in the nurse’s room were comfier than he thought… he had wound up dozing off, completely exhausted from his workout.

_If it made me so tired, does that mean it’s working?_ Steve thought to himself as he yawned and rubbed his eyes.

_Wait, what’s that smell…?_

Steve opened his eyes to find Gregory’s old, slightly wrinkled face inches from his.

“Finally awake, are we?” Gregory chuckled darkly.

Steve shrieked at the top of his lungs, his limbs spazzing in his shock as he rolled off his cot. Gregory lurched back, surprised by such a reaction.

“Goodness, my friend, are you alright?” He inquired. “I didn’t mean to give you such a fright. Am I really so scary?”

“You are when you’re _two inches_ from my _face!”_ Steve retorted, his embarrassment making him yell as his face briefly turned bright red.

“Well, I’m sorry,” Gregory was looking a little angry himself. He calmed himself down in a split second and looked at Steve with such a mischievous face, it made him get a little scared. “I came to tell you some… interesting news.”

_I have a bad feeling about this._ “Wh-what is it?”

“The girls are all going into the bath house to bathe,” Gregory looked like he was savouring every word he spoke. “As a fellow young man, I think you know what I’m talking about.”

“What are you saying?” Steve asked, kicking his legs as he pondered.

“I’m saying…” Gregory leaned forward again, a wicked grin spread across his face. “…nothing says ‘male bonding’ like peeping in on some beautiful women, right?”

“Y-y-y-you want me to spy on the girls?! With _you?!”_ Steve shuffled back on the bed until his back was against the wall, his face turning beet red. “W-we can’t do that!”

“Tsk tsk tsk…” Gregory sighed, shaking his head. “And just as I was beginning to like you… you need to have a _spine_ in a situation like we’re in! Connections are _important._ Do you want to be a sniveling child who sweats at the _thought_ of a naked woman, or do you want to man up and join me?” Gregory looked down at Steve condescendingly, which made the young man bite his lip in thought, looking away.

“I… I…”

“I’m sure Cactus Girl will be there,” Gregory winked at Steve. “Anyone with eyes can see that you think she’s _cuuuute._ You know, if you don’t man up and come with me, I might tell her brother about your little crush…” He chuckled darkly. “And you wouldn’t want that, would you?”

“What are you, _eight?_ It’s barely even anything!” Steve protested, his face reddening. “I don’t know her that well…”

“I’m still gonna tell everyone,” Gregory’s smirk widened.

Steve shook at the thought of it, flashing back to the time Cactus Gunman tackled him in the library. “F-f-fine! I’ll go! But if we get caught…? And what about your mom?”

“We won’t. And, psh, if I know my mother, she won’t want to share bathwater with a bunch of other women at once. She’d wait until they were finished.” Gregory shuddered at the mere thought of seeing his mother in the buff. “Thankfully.”

“If you say so…” Steve shakily rose to his feet, his heart pounding.

He hated to admit it, but getting away with this would make him feel bold and strong… he promised himself he wouldn’t peep _too_ much.

He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t just… a _little_ curious.

“Heh heh heh…” Gregory flashed Steve a thumbs-up. “I _knew_ you’d see it my way! Come along, my friend, we’re missing the show!”

Gregory grabbed Steve by the back of his shirt and dragged him out of the nurse’s office, heading to the male changing rooms at a speed that no ordinary old man should be able to reach.

 

_GHS_

 

Sarah walked into the bath house with a towel wrapped around her, followed by her companions in similar attire. She looked around nervously. The floor was completely tiled all around with small white little squares which felt warm under Sarah’s feet. Monoputa kept this place toasty, it seemed. At the wall beside them and the one opposite, washing stations had been placed for the girls to use. Sarah assumed the ones closest to them were intended for women and the one on the other side of the room were for the men. At each of the stations, there were taps for hot and cold water and showerhead for the water to come out. Between the washstations and the doors, there were little buckets and stools for them to use. In the very back of the rooms, the actual baths were located; two in fact. Steam rose off them enticingly and Sarah was anxious to get in.

“Alright girls!” Angel Dog giggled as she shut the door. “Let’s get started!”

All the girls took up spaces at the wash stations until no more could fit. Sarah felt a little bad about Gregory Mama and Catherine not getting one.

“Hmph, fine,” Gregory Mama huffed indignantly. “I can wait. Just don’t take too long; my beautiful skin needs this bath.” She proceeded to weigh up everyone’s figures and decide whose was the best, biasly hoping hers was on top.

“So does mine,” Angel Dog moaned as she washed her face. “I’ve been getting all frizzy!” She turned around to Gregory Mama, her face fur all fluffed up and her ears sticking up a little. “Just look at this!”

_I don’t think even a bath could fix_ _your_ _face,_ Gregory Mama thought to herself, but said nothing.

“A bath will do us all good,” Catherine agreed, nodding her head thoughtfully. “I can’t wait to get into that sweet, warm water, Oh, it’ll be _heaven!”_

“Me either,” Sarah briefly turned around the grin at her. “It looks beautiful! This was a good idea after all, Angel Dog.”

Angel Dog pulled a ridiculous face. “Well duh! Look at this place! Nothing could go wrong! This is exactly what we all need.”

“The only thing that could go wrong is the men peeping in on us,” Cactus Girl glared at nothing in particular, getting mad at the thought. “If they do, I’ll never forgive them!”

“I wouldn’t mind Hell’s Chef looking in…” Catherine sighed dreamily.

“We all know _that,_ Catherine. It’s obvious how you feel about him. I wouldn’t want _any_ of them to look in on me. That’s just rude!”

Angel Dog was scowling when she left her washbasin but sighed in pure bliss as she sank into the water, her towel now wrapped around her head so it contained her ears and head fur. It seems all her earlier frustration was gone. Gregory Mama hastily took her seat before Catherine could even take one step.

“How’s the water, Angel Dog?” Sarah asked as she turned off the taps.

“See for yourself!” She grinned, excited to see her companion’s face when she entered.

Catherine took Sarah’s old seat as she slipped into the water. A soft smile snuck onto her soaking face. She felt all the stress roll off her shoulders and closed her eyes to soak it in. _Nothing could ruin this moment…_

 

_GHS_

 

Drool dripped down Gregory’s chin as he peered into the bath house from beneath the curtain over the boy’s entrance to the baths. Steve hung back, shaking as he tried to bring himself to look in.

“You’re missing the fun,” Gregory whispered, leaning over to shove Steve on the arm. “Don’t worry, they can’t see or hear us! They’re too involved in their little conversations! Plus, the steam and this curtain give us cover…” Gregory chuckled and looked back out at the baths. “Damn, no wonder you like Cactus Girl…”

“Don’t look at her like that!” Steve couldn’t take it anymore. He cast a glance in to see what Gregory was so taken with and his jaw almost dislocated itself.

Cactus Girl was leaning against the side of the bath, cleaning her face and laughing with Catherine. Catherine said something to Cactus Girl that made her turn red and smack her on the arm.

“Wow…” Steve breathed, his cheeks coloring. “Cactus Girl looks so pretty with her hair down…”

“'Oooh, it’s barely even anything!’” Gregory put his voice up into a mocking falsetto, giving Steve a knowing smirk. “Why are you looking at her _hair_ , my friend?”

Steve ignored Gregory, keeping his eyes on the girls. His heart was speeding up… this _was_ fun! He felt like he was doing something awful… but he was getting away with it! What a rush!

He was sure he’d feel guilty later, but for now he’d enjoy the view.

“About time I got my hair washed…” Gregory Mama sighed as she approached the left bath, a towel mercifully covering her.

Gregory muffled a shriek and jumped away from the curtain, covering his eyes and shuddering.

“I thought you said she wouldn’t be here?!” Steve hiss-whispered, pulling away from the curtain as well, covering his mouth.

“I told you, I-I thought she’d wait until the other girls were done! Mama’s not one to share!” Gregory explained. “J-just don’t look at her! It’s what I’m going to do. I’ve had lots of practice.” With that, Gregory looked out into the bathhouse again.

“Oh!” Cactus Girl suddenly exclaimed, which made Steve nearly go into cardiac arrest. “I forgot! I wanted to show all of you the gift I received…” She climbed out of the bath, quickly wrapped her towel around herself, and grinned at the other girls. “I left it in the changing room. It’s… kind of embarrassing.”

“You’re among friends, sweetie!” Catherine assured her. “We’d all _love_ to see it!”

Sarah and Angel Dog agreed, but Gregory Mama simply grunted and turned away. Cactus Girl really ground her gears… she couldn’t quite place her finger on why, though.

“O-okay! Let me hurry before I change my mind!” Cactus Girl rushed into the female changing room.

Instantly the girls in the bathhouse erupted into little chatter as they speculated about Cactus Girl’s gift. Steve took this as an opportunity to do the same.

“What do you think it is…?” Steve murmured to Gregory, who was off in his own little world.

“Huh?” he jolted back to reality and managed to keep his voice low. “I don’t know, but I like where this is going!” Gregory grinned naughtily.

The curtain over the changing room door lifted a little and Cactus Girl stuck her head out, her face red. A hushed silence fell over the bathhouse. Despite her uncomfortableness, Steve couldn’t help grinning like a fool when he saw her.

“Y-you promise you won’t laugh?” Cactus Girl nervously clarified. She hadn’t done something like this before so naturally she was more than a little nervous.

“Of course not!” Angel Dog smiled, speaking on behalf of all the other women. “Unless it’s meant to be silly; then I’ll laugh a whole lot!”

Cactus Girl took her word, sucked in a huge breath and stepped into the open. Everyone made a collective gasp, some for different reasons that others and Steve’s eyes goggled; he was completely taken aback. Cactus Girl was wearing a stunning blue dress that complimented her figure perfectly. He found it hard to believe that it was a gift from _Monoputa_ of all people and his mind got more and more lost the longer he stared at her.

Cactus Girl wasn’t sure the reaction was positive and looked at their faces self-consciously. “How does it look?”

Gregory Mama, whose face was red with rage, instantly turned her head pointedly away. _I can’t believe that of all things was her gift! Why wasn’t I given something like that?!_ Gregory Mama mentally fumed. _If I had that dress,_ _no one_ _could match me. But now I have competition! Opposing the dress is sure to get her to take it off._

Noticing Gregory Mama’s sudden response, she got a little angry she had gone out on a limb only for it to be shot back at her until:

“It looks beautiful on you!” Angel Dog breathed, in awe.

“Definitely!” Sarah agreed. “Monoputa did _well_ for once.”

Catherine nodded in agreement. “Dear, that dress was made for you.”

Needless to say, by this point Cactus Girl was internally over the moon. She tried to hide her giddiness but couldn’t help cracking a huge smile that made Steve’s heart flutter and Gregory begin to drool.

Steve was so transfixed by Cactus Girl and Gregory was so wrapped up in his spying that neither of them heard the footsteps coming up behind them.

Before the two of them knew it, something cold and metallic was pressed up against the backs of their heads.

Steve yelped, which was thankfully drowned out by the girls laughing, and tensed up. Gregory simply sighed and said “What do you think you’re doing? Are you going to shoot us?”

“Stop. Peeping. In. At. My. Seester!” As soon as the person behind them spoke, Steve knew it was Cactus Gunman. He holstered his guns and grabbed both of the peeping toms by the collars of their shirts, yanking them backwards. “Clock Master said he saw you two sneaking in here. I feared the worst; and it seems like I was right.”

Steve leaned back to look at Gunman, his face pale. “I-I-I was brought here against my will!”

“Tch,” Gunman clicked his tongue, tightening his grip on Steve’s shirt. “A likely story.”

“Figured you’d want to join us,” Gregory snickered at Gunman, a smirk on his face. Steve winced. This old rat showed no fear. “I see how you’re always sizing up the fairer sex.”

“No!” Gunman smacked Gregory in the back of the head. “It’s disrespectful! You two make me sick. If you want to see a woman without her clothes…” Gunman let go of their shirts so he could smooth his mustache. “…You have to earn it. Besides, this is creepy. You two stop right now and I won’t have to hurt you.” Gunman pulled out his guns again, twirling the one in his right hand around flashily.

“You’d _kill_ us over this? Really?” Gregory smirked and rose to his feet, folding his arms. Steve remained on the ground, shuddering at the thought of it.

“Not kill, just shoot you in the kneecap so it’s harder to run from your would be murderers later down the line…” Gunman pointed his gun at Gregory’s leg. “I must defend the honor of my seester, after all…”

“Y-yeah, Gregory, we’ve seen more than enough…” Steve shakily stood up. “Let’s go before we get caught…”

“Oh no you don’t!”

The three men whirled around to see Monoputa, bobbling around with his arms behind his back.

“I’m not about to let you guys get away with doing something so naughty, so I’m gonna give you a fate _worse_ than death!” Without another word, Monoputa blazed forward and tore the curtain clear off. “HEY GIRLS! YOU’VE GOT PEEPING TOMS!”

Steve and Gunman screamed and Gregory’s eyes widened as he backed up, nearly tripping over a bench.

Cactus Girl shrieked, tears pricking the corners of her eyes. “B-brother?! I expected better from _you!”_

“Th-this is all a misunderstanding! I came here to tell these two to st-”

“And STEVE?!” Angel Dog yelled, sinking lower in the water. “I can’t believe this!”

“I wish I could say I didn’t expect this from Gregory. Leave it to me; I’ll take care of them…” Gregory Mama rose from the water, her tone menacing. Catherine shook her head at her, her face shadowed with bubbling rage.

“No.” Catherine jumped out of the bath, not even bothering to cover herself up. “Let ME!”

Catherine ran over to one of the washing stations, pulled one of the shower heads clean off of it, and bolted towards the men, buck naked and with a bloodthirsty look in her eyes.

“EVERY MAN FOR HIMSELF!” Gunman shrieked before blazing out of the changing room and down the hallway.

Steve screamed and went after him, nearly tripping over his own feet. Gregory cursed his age as he took off down the hall himself.

The girls all looked at each other and burst into loud laughter.

“Serves them right!” Cactus Girl wrung out her wet hair, being careful not to splatter too much water on her new dress. “I can’t _believe_ this…”

“I can…” Angel Dog sighed, leaning over the side of the bathtub. “Steve was a surprise, though.”

“Hey, ladies…” They were so caught up in talking to each other that they didn’t notice Monoputa was still there. Sarah yelped and crossed her arms over her chest, glaring at the Prompter. “You should finish up and get dressed soon. The boys need a turn, after all! I want all of you to be sparkling clean for what I have planned for later this evening~”

With that vague statement, Monoputa swivelled around and skipped out the door, humming the deceased Judgement Boy’s theme song.

“Do you think it’s a-” Sarah began, but Cactus Girl interrupted her.

“Let’s not worry about that until the time comes! Let’s go take our minds off of it. I don’t know about you, but I really want to see Catherine tear those idiot boys a new one!” With that, Cactus Girl took off down the hallway.

“I can’t help but agree…” Much to Sarah’s surprise, Gregory Mama took off after Cactus Girl, smirking all the way.

 

_GHS_

 

The boys, now squeaky clean, filed into the hallway outside of the TV lounge. They were filled with anticipation and Steve was especially jittery. Poor Conductor was moaning about how the room was tense but no one paid him any mind.

“I-it’s a motive, isn’t it?!” Steve looked around, his eyes wide, dreading when Monoputa would show up. “I don’t want to die!” He gripped his bruised head in his hands.

The girls waltzed into the hallway, Cactus Girl smirking at the three peeping toms’ injuries.

“Seester, I can’t believe you watched us get beaten up earlier…” Cactus Gunman sounded genuinely hurt. “I-I told you, I didn’t look!”

Catherine narrowed her eyes at him. “No matter how much you say it, it won’t be any more believable.”

“You had no right to look upon my fine body! It’s only right we got you back!” Gregory Mama was still angry at the men and she showed no sign of letting up.

“Mama, please…” Gregory took half a step back and widened his eye in surprise, the other swollen and firmly stuck shut.

Before Gregory Mama could respond, Monoputa popped up out of nowhere.

“Geez, you guys are like a bunch of teenagers!” Monoputa exclaimed, giggling like crazy. “I expected you guys to be just a _bit_ more mature. Oh well, that means your minds are easily molded!” Monoputa kneaded the air, his snickering intensifying. “Anyway, I’m gonna need you guys to form a single file line outside of the lounge door and go in one at a time. I called in a friend and he’s gonna help me out with…” Monoputa spun around and threw his arms up. “YOUR NEXT MOOOOTIIIIIIIVE~!”

“Already?!” Steve gasped, his knees knocking.

“Haven’t you already done enough?!” Judgement Boy Gold loomed over Monoputa, glaring down at him. “Judgement Boy just died, and you’re going to make things _worse_ for us?!”

“Figured you’d be all for this, Glittering Gabriel,” Monoputa flicked one of Gold’s cages. “It’d root out more murderers, after all! People like _James._ If it weren’t for him, Judgement Boy would still be alive and judgin’!”

“Why does it always come back to James?!” Gregory clutched his head.

“…I’m not even going to dignify that with a response,” Judgement Boy Gold turned up his nose at Monoputa. “Let’s get this over with.” With that, the line slowly began to form, Judgement Boy Gold near the front.

Monoputa couldn’t help smirking as he took in everyone’s dread-filled faces. “Just look at this! Oh, your expressions are to _die_ for! Haha, get it?” No one reacted, all of them too distraught to answer their tormentor. He looked down at his feet and sighed. “Aww, you guys are no fun. That was a good joke!”

“Just get this over with!” Cactus Girl shouted, looking around her brother near the back of the line.

“Fine, fine… But one last thing!” Monoputa held up a finger. “I told you I got along a friend, right? Well, he’s just as much your friend as he is mine!”

“Wait, what do you mean?” Sarah asked, tilting her head in confusion. This didn’t add up to her. They were all here…

Monoputa chuckled and his chuckling quickly turned into loud, obnoxious laughter which struck frustration and confusion into everyone’s hearts. “Alright, let’s get this party started! Beer Master, you’re with me!” Monoputa grabbed the sniggering Clock Master’s arm and opened the door to the lounge.

“W-wait! What do you mean he’s our friend?! You can’t just tell us that and then leave!” Steve wailed, flailing his arms so Monoputa would notice and stay to answer his question.

“I think he can…” Mummy Papa muttered, his brow furrowed as he tried to size up Monoputa’s capabilities.

“For someone with a machete in your head, you have some smarts!” Monoputa seemed genuinely shocked and then turned to Steve. “He’s right though; yes I caaaan~” He sang, as he dragged Clock Master through the door.

Minutes passed. Sarah fidgeted uncomfortably looking around for some kind of distraction. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t stop her mind racing. _Who is this friend? What exactly is the motive? Will someone die again? No, no! Think positive! No one else will die; I’ll make sure of it!_

“M-maybe we should leave,” Gunman stuttered, breaking the silence. “He won’t notice if a few of us go…”

“Shush! He might hear you!” Angel Dog silenced him, looking anxious.

“I heard thaaat~” Monoputa waltzed through the door, looking smug. “I don’t know what that was about, but I’m putting this out there: if you try to leave and get out of seeing the motive-”

“IT’S A MIRACLE!” Clock Master burst through the door, nearly tripping over Monoputa. He was too ecstatic to care that said tiny dictator was angrily shaking his fist and yelling at him to shut up. “I CAN’T BELIEVE IT! I’M NOT A GOOD-FOR-NOTHING! I HAVE A SON! I HAVE A SON!” Clock Master skipped down the hall, away from the extremely confused group.

Monoputa sighed and dragged his hand down his face. “That was the opposite of what I was going for… Anyway, as I was saying, if you try to leave, the same punishment as entering the wrong changeroom applies.” Mummy Papa slowly raised his hand. “For those who can’t remember, it’s instant death.” He slowly lowered it again. “Alright! NEXT!”

Everyone filed in one by one and Sarah grew closer and closer to the front. The sooner her turn was, the tighter the knot in her stomach wound up. Everyone’s individual reactions didn’t help either.

When Judgement Boy Gold came out with a massive nosebleed and a look of perplexed sadness on his face. Catherine, who had her turn earlier, was quick to jump to his aid despite not looking so good herself and led him to the nurse’s office. She offered assistance to the others who had seen their videos but Gregory Mama insisted she didn’t need Catherine’s aid, being more bitter than usual. Gregory, his brow knitted with confusion, just said he wanted time alone to think and slunk over to the lobby. Mummy Papa gladly accepted Catherine’s offer, however, and requested some laughing 'shrooms. He seemed more distant than usual and Angel Dog needed to snap her fingers in front of his face before she could get a response for Catherine.

But Neko Zombie’s response was one that really shocked Sarah. He came out looking horrified and without a word dropped to all fours, yowled loudly, and sprinted away before anyone could say a word. Such a reaction from a calm, usually unshakable figure sent Sarah’s knees shaking. _Hardly anyone is taking this well. I hope I’ll be okay._

Monoputa chuckled as he watched the stitched-up feline run away then turned to Sarah with a wink. “You’re up, hot stuff.”

Sarah glanced over her shoulder at the people behind her. None of them met her gaze, all with looks of dread on their faces. Not even Gunman so much as batted an eyelash at her, which was unusual. The only one who didn’t seem bothered at all was Roulette Boy, who was rocking back and forth with his arms behind his back, smiling and humming to himself. Sarah swallowed and slowly ambled into the lounge, her heart pounding at a mile a minute. Monoputa pattered in after her, grinning all the way.

When she got into the lounge, she found it completely dark, apart from one source of light coming from a strange creature. It seemed to be a combination of a television and a skeletal fish, and it was looking at her with enormous, unblinking eyes that sent chills up Sarah’s spine.

“Who… are you?” Sarah asked the creature, recoiling backwards.

“That’s our old friend T.V. Fish!” Monoputa said happily, hands behind his back as he shifted his weight back and forth from his toes to his heels. “It has your next motive!”

“I’ve…never seen it before,” Sarah breathed, transfixed by the oddity before her.

Monoputa chuckled. “Of course you have! You just don’t remember! Now you’ll show her the motive, right T.V. Fish?”

It said nothing, but it slowly turned towards her and swam forward with an enormous burst of speed, stopping short right in front of Sarah’s face. Its pupils dilated and static began to take over its screenlike face as it looked Sarah in the eye.

Sarah’s jaw dropped as the screen began displaying a foggy image… Sarah recognized the woman on the screen as her own mother.

“Oh, honey, a psychologist?” Sarah’s mom’s voice was distorted, like she was speaking through a crackly speaker. Sarah could barely make out what she was saying. “There’s no jobs in that in _-zzt-_ stry. Don’t you want to do some- _zzt-_ ing else?”

The image hiccuped and suddenly changed to her mother screaming at her father about something. Sarah could barely make it out, but she definitely heard her name yelled a few times.

The image turned to a fuzzy, blurry image of a boy who was shorter than Sarah. Sarah couldn’t see his face at all and momentarily wondered who it was.

“Big sis, I think you _-zzzt-_ go for it! If anyone can do it it’s you!”

Sarah felt a stab in her heart when she realized that she had forgotten that she had a younger brother. _Damn, I can’t even remember his face…but how does this thing know all this?_

The image fuzzed again and it cut to Sarah’s point of view at a desk in what looked like a dorm room. She was reading a textbook and occasionally sighing. A voice behind her said: “Why don’t you ever leave your room, Sarah?”

Sarah mumbled to herself: “ _I’ll show Mom. I’m going to graduate at the top of my class, and I’m going to get a job!”_

The image got completely unreadable after that, but Sarah could still hear voices. “Overworking yourself is so - _zzzt-_ d for your health. If this keeps up, you’ll-”

The static took over again and Sarah’s voice was heard. “Yeah, Mom, I have almost a 4.0 average! I can-”

The screen jumped again, showing a strangely clear image of Sarah’s mother and father sitting on the couch with some distance between them, grim looks on their faces.

“Where did she go…?” her father said, running a hand through his hair.

“She never would have gone missing if I didn’t push her… this is all my fault…” Sarah’s mother was blinking back tears, her voice heavy.

With that, the screen turned off and was replaced with T.V. Fish’s eyes, huge and unblinking.

“Th-this…this…” Sarah couldn’t form a sentence. So many lost memories… Her family, her aspirations; how could she have forgotten? Why couldn’t she remember everything?!

“That’s your reality, you silly!” Monoputa teased. “If you want to know more and go back, kill someone! It’s simple! Your parents would be _so_ happy to see their little girl again, I know it!” Monoputa scrambled into Sarah’s line of sight and beamed up at her.

“I…” Sarah covered her mouth, her eyes filling up with tears. “Th-that isn’t fake?”

“Sarah, you insult me!” Monoputa pointed at T.V. Fish. “T.V. Fish here is just showing you your memories and that little bite of the reality waiting for you! I just asked it to do it. I had nothing to do with what it’s showing you!”

“Th-then…it’s real? All of that is…true?” Sarah was doing her best to comprehend it. But how could she? How could she process such information? It would be hard for the best of people to process, let alone her!

“Someone’s catching on,” Monoputa snarked. “Man, this disbelief routine is getting old… And I have to see it at least seven MORE times! Ah well, at least that despairing look on you guy’s faces isn’t the same. That thing is priceless!” He laughed, hands on his stomach.

Sarah just blinked at him expressionlessly. She wasn’t really taking in what he said. _My parents, my brother… They miss me? They wonder where I am? I want to get back to them. I have to get back to them…_ She balled her hands into fists, determination creeping in.

“Well, let’s bring in the next ray of sunshine, shall we?” Monoputa grinned as he walked over to the door, his hands swinging by his side. “And you can run along and plot your murder!”

Sarah placed one foot forward and squeezed her fists tighter. “No.”

Monoputa stopped in his tracks and looked over at her. “No? But you want to get back to your family, right? They’re waiting for you~” He sang.

Sarah was unfazed, her heart would not waver in the winds of his persuasion. “No. I _won’t_ kill _anyone_. They may be waiting for me to come home, but I will not kill a _soul_ in this house to reach them. I won’t play into your sick, twisted hands, Monoputa! I’ll find my own way home and I’ll find it the right way! And I’m taking everyone with me!”

The maniacal prompter delicately placed a hand on his chest. “So inspirational! How divine! But you are deluding yourself if you think anyone shares the same view as you. One way or another, they’ll all run and hide and plot, just like Neko Zombie.”

“Tch.” She stubbornly refused to believe him and stomped over to the door. Gently pushing aside Monoputa with her foot, she gripped the handle and snarled at him. “I’ll let myself out.”

“So harsh,” Monoputa put a hand on his heart. “You _wound_ me!”

Sarah slammed the door in his face and folded her arms tightly.

“Are you alright, senorita?” Gunman asked when he saw how she pale she was under her angry expression.

She let out a huge sigh to blow off some steam. “I’m fine, Gunman; thanks for asking.”

But she wasn’t fine. She was still shaken by the video but she knew if she was going to inspire confidence and hope in any of her friends, she’d need to hide that. She’d need to call on all her strength and willpower to keep going.

“Are you sure?” Gunman clarified, not convinced.

“Yeah, yeah,” Sarah replied, still lost in thought a little, considering her next move. She glanced at the next person to enter the lounge and upon identifying him, she gave him a little confidence boost. He’d need it. “Good luck, Steve. I know you can take what’s coming.”

That just made Steve shake a little more but he gave her a grateful grin. “Thanks Sarah. You’re a great friend.” He leaned a little closer and whispered so low Sarah had to strain her ears to hear. “Can you check on me when I’m done? I-If I can’t take it, I need someone to talk to. Please? I’d talk to Cactus Girl but…” His face went bright red and he looked at said cactus shyly.

Sarah nodded and opened her mouth to give verbal response when the door to the lounge burst open and Monoputa strutted through. “Alright, enough chit-chat. Who’s next?” His eyes fell on Steve whose fists were bunched up in front of his face so his eyes only just peered over. “Oooh I am going to _enjoy_ this one! Get in there, you chicken. NOW!” Steve yelped and sprinted inside while Monoputa snickered. “He is way too much fun to tease. And what are you still doing here, Ms. Doorslammer?” Monoputa scowled at Sarah who scowled right back. “Go on! Scram!”

Sarah turned on her heel and left, heading to the staircase. She couldn’t stand to be around him and his cruel ideas of “fun” anymore. Upon scaling the staircase, she looked around and focused her thoughts on helping the others. What she needed was a way to perk up everyone’s spirits after seeing such a depressing motive, and there was only one person in the mood to discuss that. Sarah walked over to the bar and opened the slowly opened the door.

“Ah Sarah! My good friend!” Clock Master greeted her with opened arms and looked particularly bright, just as she remembered him. “What brings you by? Did you video give you amazing news too?”

Sarah opened and shut her mouth, then looked away. She certainly didn’t find out something to boast about like he did.

“I should thank Monoputa for showing me that video,” he continued without even looking at Sarah. “I thought I was going to spend eternity here, drinking my life away with not a thing to my name… But there was a little boy who called me 'daddy’ in that video! A son! _My_ son! I have something to live for now! I know I’ll be reunited with him, and I’ll go to him with no blood shed; like a good father!”

Sarah was completely taken aback. _I…I totally misjudged him! He’s seen his son in that video and has the same drive as I do to get back to them. He even wants to do it the right way too!_

“That’s how I feel about my family too. But the others aren’t taking this as well as you and I,” Sarah admitted, breaking the unfortunate news to the ecstatic man. “If anything they seem depressed and upset.”

“ _Whaaaaaaat?!”_ Clock Master was blown away. “They are?! This is terrible! Don’t they realise they should be happy just to be alive? To live with their past achievements? That’s the honorable thing to do right now.”

“Well, I came to you in hopes that you could help me think of a way to cheer them up. Any ideas?” Sarah tilted her head questioningly and hoped for the best.

Clock Master placed a hand on his chin. “Hmm, cheer them up, hey?” He was silent for a bit and his eyes darted around the room in search of ideas. Suddenly, his face lit up like the sun and he looked at Sarah excitedly. “I know! We will have a party in this very bar! They may drown their sorrows in this liquor and we can cheer them up with bright conversation!”

Sarah frowned. “But I don’t think getting smashed is going to help us get ou-”

“Don’t you worry, little lady,” Clock Master patronized, petting her head. “I’ll tell the others at dinner. You don’t need to worry about a thing. I need to start drawing up preparations. Good day!” He raced out of the bar and Sarah guessed he was heading for the stationary kit in his room.

_I guess he isn’t going to change everything. Giving up drinking was probably too much to hope for,_ Sarah shrugged as she left the bar. The others were probably still going with receiving their motives, but she predicted Steve would be finished by now. _I should check up on him to see how he’s doing._

Sarah headed to the first place she thought Steve would be, his room. When he wasn’t there, Sarah sighed and began to search the hotel.

Luckily, Sarah found Steve in the third place she checked; the library. When he heard the door open he jumped and covered his face with the book he was reading, looking at Sarah with goggled eyes.

“Relax, it’s just me! I’m not a murderer…” Sarah held up her hands, a sheepish smile on her lips. “I just wanted to check on you like you said.”

Steve sighed and put his book down. “You seem like you’re taking everything well. As usual.” Steve leaned his elbows onto the table and rested his face in his hands, squishing his cheeks a bit. “I’m jealous.”

Sarah took the seat across from him and gave him the least threatening smile she could. “Well, I was super pissed earlier, but I simmered down…” Sarah sighed in relief. “Monoputa’s stooping to a new low, isn’t he? Trying to use our feelings for our families and friends against us…”

“I had a group of friends… when I was… back outside…” Steve wasn’t really sure how to describe the world outside of this cursed place. “We were close; we all knew each other since we were toddlers. That weird fish thing showed me a bunch of memories of us together from all sorts of points in time, but I can’t even remember what their names were…” Steve sounded like he was about to cry as he hid his face behind his hands. He peeped out through his fingers at Sarah and added: “One’s really sick and he’s wondering where I am… God, I want to be there for him… even if I can’t remember his name, when I saw my friends I felt so warm inside… and then…” Steve slammed a fist into the table, his eyes wet with tears. “I know I have to to kill someone to get back to them, but I… I can’t! I don’t want to betray everyone for myself _or_ for my reality!”

Steve buried his face in his hands again and began to sob, shaking like a leaf in the wind. Sarah rose from her chair and did the only thing she could do.

She came up behind Steve and hugged him as tightly as she could.

“I know it’s tough, Steve, and I know I keep saying this, but I’m sure we can get out of here without killing anyone if we work hard…” Sarah told him, her voice soft. “Besides, everyone’s going to forget all their troubles tonight. Clock Master’s going to throw a party in the bar.”

“A… party? Why?” Steve looked over his shoulder at her, his eyes red and puffy and his face streaked with snot. “Why are we celebrating getting our weaknesses thrown in our face?”

“We’re not celebrating, Steve,” Sarah shook her head, releasing him. “This is to remind everyone that not everyone here is a cold, heartless murderer. Remember…” Sarah swallowed as she recalled the first (and hopefully only) trial. “…the only murder we had was an accident. We’re going to relax and forget about that stupid motive.”

Steve wiped his eyes and turned in his chair to give Sarah an immensely forced grin. “I think we need that. I’ll be there. There’s safety in numbers, after all…”

“Glad to hear it,” Sarah smiled at him. “Do you think you’ll be okay?”

“Give me a few minutes with a book and I will be,” Steve wiped at a half dried teardrop on the open book in front of him. “Always works.”

“See you at the party!” After patting Steve on the shoulder, Sarah headed out the door, her chest swelling with joy.

_I’m really good at giving pep talks!_ she grinned as she strolled down the hall towards her room. _Maybe I can make it in psychology when I get out of here after all!_

 

_GHS_

 

_Later that night…_

Quite a few people chose not to come to the party. Chef refused to witness everyone getting drunk and vomiting up his cooking, Neko Zombie was still locked in his room, and, no matter how much he wanted to attend, Roulette Boy was much too young.

Angel Dog had started to say that she didn’t want to go, but she was cut off mid-sentence by an extremely excited Devil Dog showing up. “Oh, that idiot isn’t letting me miss _this!”_ Despite the fact the party wasn’t starting for another hour, Devil Dog flew towards the bar, laughing like the maniac she was.

Sarah regretted even bringing the party up to her.

Luckily, Devil Dog seemed more interested in alcohol than hounding the other party guests. Gregory and Clock Master both proved to be pro drink mixers, the former surprising Sarah more than the latter. They stood behind the bar and were able to serve up any drink they were asked for.

Gunman had came to the party early and was laughing loudly about something with Clock Master. Clock Master didn’t serve drinks for long; soon he was too drunk to even hold a shaker properly, leaving only Gregory to man the helm.

Cactus Girl claimed she only went to the party to make sure her brother could get back to his room safely, but she couldn’t say no when Catherine asked if she wanted to have a drink or two with her.

Poor Conductor even lived up to his name on the drinking front, getting drunk only minutes after Clock Master. The effect of this may have been beneficial as he became surprisingly cheery as though he had lost all grip on the reality of their situation. Perhaps there had been some logic in Clock Master’s idea. Almost immediately after Poor Conductor lost it, Mummy Papa had found a chatting buddy in him. Poor Conductor could rattle on and on and on about whatever he wanted, and Mummy Papa was willing to listen. Poor Conductor was surprisingly eloquent when he was drunk.

Steve had taken just a few sips of tequila before passing out at the bar. Sarah wasn’t sure if that was from lack of sleep or if his alcohol tolerance was really that low…

Gregory Mama had left the party in a huff when Clock Master tried to drunkenly flirt with her, but instantly changed his mind when he got close to her, much to Gregory’s relief.

Judgement Boy Gold had swooped into the party with his bottom weights off and a giant glimmering grin. Shortly after announcing that he wanted to drown his sorrows, he wound up spilling a glass of champagne all over himself.

Biting a curse in two, Gold gave the glass to Gregory and huffed. “These hands will be the death of me…”

“Can you even get drunk?” Sarah asked from her spot not far from him, at a table near the door.

“I hope so!” Judgement Boy Gold wiped some of the trickling champagne off of himself, frowning intensely. “I can’t pick up a glass, though.”

“Oooh, do you need some help?” Without waiting for an answer, Catherine stood up from her spot across from Cactus Girl and rushed to Gold’s side. “I’ll _definitely_ help you out. I can only _imagine_ how you must be feeling right now…” Catherine sidled up closer to him, placing a hand on his arm sympathetically.

“How kind of you!” Judgement Boy Gold beamed and Catherine’s heart skipped a beat.

She whirled to face Gregory and demanded another glass of champagne, a straw, and a stepstool. Once she had what she needed, she held the glass up to Gold, smiling ear to ear.

Sarah chuckled and shook her head. She couldn’t believe a person like Catherine existed, and yet here she was with Judgement Boy Gold drinking from a glass in her hands.

Sarah heard someone sit across from her and turned to see that it was Cactus Girl, a bottle in each hand.

“Since Catherine's… busy…” Cactus Girl cast Catherine a vaguely disgusted look. “I thought we could drink together. Be careful, though, this stuff is pretty strong.”

“Sounds like a plan!” Sarah laughed and called out: “Hey, Gregory! Can we get some more glasses over here?”

 

_GHS_

 

Cactus Girl wasn’t kidding about that stuff being strong. Sarah could only remember bits and bites of the past few hours. She remembered Mummy Papa mentioning he also had a son to Clock Master, she remembered Gold falling off the ceiling and nearly crushing Mummy Papa, she remembered heaving over a toilet with Cactus Girl’s hand on her back, she remembered Cactus Girl calling her a lightweight, she remembered Gregory and Devil Dog having a drinking contest and almost knocking over a row of glasses…

Her blurry night came to an end when Catherine gave her some water and medicine to help her sober up.

“The nurse’s office has EVERYTHING!” Catherine had gushed once Sarah’s head had finally mostly de-clouded. “I’m going to head there now and do some inventory. I’m sure there are going to be _lots_ of upset stomachs and aching heads tomorrow~” She giggled. “Don’t worry, you’ll all be in good hands!” With that, Catherine skipped out the door.

“I’m just gonna shleep here…” Judgement Boy Gold mumbled from his spot on the floor. “Don’t mind me…”

Gold wasn’t the only one 'shleeping.’ Steve was still snoring over at the counter, Poor Conductor and Mummy Papa had each eventually fallen off their chairs and slept where they landed, Clock Master was lying on the bar counter, and Gunman was curled up in a little ball in the corner of the room, cradling a bottle of tequila.

Everyone else had been walked back to their rooms by Cactus Girl, who was surprisingly good at holding her liquor. Sarah had jokingly asked why she wasn’t carrying Steve back to his room and Cactus Girl did an excellent impression of Hell’s Chef’s angry noise in response.

Sarah was thinking she was going to head back to her room as well; she was ridiculously sleepy and she still had a bit of a buzz, after all, but the sound of sobbing stopped her in her tracks.

She knew those sobs anywhere. She approached the culprit and knelt down next to him. “Judgement Boy Gold? Are you okay…?”

“Saraaaaaaah…” Judgement Boy Gold struggled to lie on his side so he could look at her. When he finally succeeded, Sarah could plainly see the tear tracks marring his shiny face. “Why am I sad? I thought drinking was supposed to make you happy. That’s what Clock Master said.”

“Everyone reacts differently to alcohol…” Sarah blinked at him. “I figured you’d know that…”

“Pssssssssh, I’m far too busy to partake in this kind of thing on a daily basis,” Judgement Boy Gold waved Sarah off. “…but this didn’t help at all.” His brows furrowed and he looked away from Sarah, biting his lip. “…Don’t tell the others, but Death… Death showed up in my room last night.”

“Death?” Sarah’s blood ran cold. “Why? What did he want?”

“He said… Judgement Boy’s soul keeps going on about how surprised and happy he was that I defended him to the very end…” Gold placed a shaky hand on the dent Judgement Boy had left on his chassis. “Judgement Boy was hoping I would survive… I will. I won’t give up easy… nothing will stand between me and… survival…” Judgement Boy Gold yawned hugely and laid back down on his stomach, closing his eyes. He was so tired…

“Wait… you’re not going to murder anyone to get out of here, are you?” Sarah couldn’t help but be concerned by Judgement Boy Gold’s last comment.

The only response she got was soft snoring.

Sighing, Sarah figured it was the alcohol and exhaustion clouding her system… and maybe Gold’s too. Judgement Boy Gold had gone on about how Judgement Boys weren’t meant to take fate into their own hands, after all. He’d be back to his usual ideals once he cheered up.

Sarah was too tired to think about what could or couldn’t be. She definitely wasn’t going to make it back to her room… she curled up in a corner and found that the carpet was surprisingly soft. Before she knew it, she too was drifting off to dreamland…

 

_GHS_

 

_**“EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!”** _

_A scream!? Right outside!?_

Sarah woke with a start, her heart pounding a mile a minute and her ears ringing. She looked around the room at the newly awakened partygoers, each one with a look of dread on their faces.

The only one who didn’t wake up was Clock Master, who was sleeping deeply as a dead man.

Before Sarah even got the chance to suggest investigating the scream, the door to the bar swung open, revealing a pale Catherine.

“C-come outside! Right now! All of you!”

“Do you have to be so loud…?” Mummy Papa cradled his head. “Ow…”

“Is it a…?” Sarah looked into Catherine’s eyes and she looked downcast for a moment before nodding.

Gunman shrieked and pulled a nearby trash bin over to him, vomiting in it. All of this was too much to bare…

“I’ll come with you…” Sarah glanced at her hungover companions. “I don’t think any of them are up for it right now… wait…” Sarah looked around at the others, her brow furrowing. “Where's…?”

Catherine walked over to Sarah and held her arm, leading her out into the hallway.

What Sarah saw made her heart drop into her stomach and her hands tremble.

Judgement Boy Gold was lying facedown on the hallway floor… with an enormous knife stuck between his body and his decapitated head.


	11. The Hangover Brigade

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Hey guys! Ven and I are very proud to bring you this new chapter; it was a labor of love for us and we’re super happy with it ;w;_   
>  _The awesome illustrations are by ask-ghskids and shortlifelongart, respectively~ Thank you so much for the art, guys!_   
>  _Without further ado, here’s Part 1 of the investigation! <3_

Even though Sarah should have been prepared for this, the horrific sight before her still made her scream. Gold. Judgement Boy Gold. One of the people with the biggest drive to keep living was lying on the floor, decapitated.

Sarah didn’t want to believe it. As much as Catherine and her eyes were telling her this was true, her determined drive for everyone to survive was pushing her mind into denial. _No._ _ **No.**_ _This party’s whole purpose was to bind everyone together. This is impossible!_

“Gold…” Sarah clutched her forearms with her trembling hands. “Who…who did this?”

“Someone must have done it during the night,” Catherine sighed grimly. “I had hoped there wouldn’t be any more work of this kind for me…”

Pitter-pattering footsteps made them look up from the shining corpse. It was Roulette Boy, skipping down the hall towards them confidently with his eyes shut, totally oblivious to the tragedy just metres away.

“Wakey-wakey you fat sleepyheads!” he sang, growing ever closer to them. “Why’d a bunch of you dummies sleep out here anyway? I waited for all of you until past bedtime! Why’d only some of you-” He finally opened his eyes and stopped just short of Gold’s body. “Huh?”

Catherine and Sarah exchanged a glance. _I know Roulette Boy is just a kid, but could it be possible that he…? No. He couldn’t, could he?_

Before Sarah could continue her train of thought, Monoputa’s voice blared throughout the hotel. “Attention all bastards! Attention all bastards! Hehehe… A body has been discovered! After a brief time for your ameteur investigation, we’ll hold another house trial! Best of luuuuuck~!”

“A-again?” Roulette Boy looked dumbstruck; not a hint of remorse on his face. “What jerk did this to that stupid crybaby?! James was enough!” Roulette Boy stomped a foot. “I can’t believe I have to go through another one of those boring trials!”

Sarah sighed, not even sure how to console a child with such a harsh worldview. “We’d better wake the others.”

Monoputa popped out of nowhere, his arms folded in impatience. “I’ll say! I prepared all these new Monoputa files and you’re all going to use them!” He flung a copy at each person present and they all barely caught it.

“I’m so glad Glittering Gabriel is dead~!” Monoputa leapt in the air and rushed over to the corpse. “He was sooooo annoying last trial! He made things go sooooo slow with his stupid ‘support’ for the murderer!” Monoputa flopped on his stomach in Gold’s blood and rolled side to side, coating himself in oily scarlet. “Hehehe, hopefully next trial will go niiiice and smooth!”

Monoputa brushed up against the knife in his fit of rolling and went “Oh!”

Jumping to his feet, Monoputa leaned his back against the knife and grinned at Sarah. “Looks like you guys have a lot of evidence to gather. Be careful around this thing, though. It’s sharp.” Monoputa looked at the bar door and made a little “hmm” noise. “Guess I better go wake up The Hangover Brigade. Nothing like Monoputa to brighten your morning, huh?” Winking his red eye, Monoputa skipped into the bar, leaving bloody footprints behind him.

“I can’t believe he messed with the crime scene like that…” Catherine bent down to examine the blood, squinting at it. “Hmm… something's…”

“What?” Sarah asked, tilting her head to the side.

“…I’ll take a closer look later.” Straightening up, Catherine gave Sarah a thin smile. “This… wasn’t an accident. That much is obvious. I think we need to gather everyone else up.”

“No, you don’t gotta!” Roulette Boy’s voice rang out.

Sarah and Catherine whirled to see that Roulette Boy was standing on Gold’s head, his hands on the knife handle.

“Get off of there!” Sarah scolded, her face reddening.

“What are you doing?! That’s dangerous!” Catherine gasped, rushed over to Roulette Boy, and lifted him off of Gold’s head.

“Noooo, I found good evidence!” Roulette Boy whined, still gripping the knife handle. “This is Hell’s Chef’s knife! I saw him carrying it around before!”

“He’s…He’s right!” Sarah was surprised the child recognized the knife before she did. She shook her head to clear it. “But even though that was a good discovery, it’s terrible to just step on corpse, Roulette Boy!”

He just blew a raspberry at her and Catherine pulled the knife from his tiny grasp and placed him back on the floor. She held it up to her face and squinted to examine the blade.

“I’ll need to look at this more closely later, too…” She muttered before putting the knife back in it’s place.

“Ahem.” Sarah turned her head to the doorway of the bar to see Monoputa smugly leaning on the frame. “If you ladies are done babysitting, we can finally get to the juicy stuff! I present to you, the Hangover Brigade!” He gestured with a flourish to the space behind him but no one moved a muscle. Monoputa’s eye twitched in rage and he spun around. “EVERYONE GET YOUR DRUNKEN BUTTS OUT HERE! I KNOW YOU’RE AWAKE!” Everyone within the bar trudged into the hallway, muttering about the light and one illness or another. Some of the people who had left the party to sleep in their own beds came trudging out of their rooms as well. Monoputa’s loud voice carried an awful long way. “Muuuuch better… Now catch this, you drunkards!”

Monoputa cruelly frisbeed the Monoputa Files to each individual who attempted feebly to catch it. Cactus Gunman got smacked right on the head and Clock Master was the only one who didn’t lift a finger.

“What’re these for?” Mummy Papa yawned.

_God, Mummy Papa was looking more pale than usual_. “Uhh, Gold is…” Sarah scratched her cheek.

“Is what?” Steve asked, rubbing one of his eyes.

“He’s dead, you dummies! Look! Look!” Roulette Boy pointed to Judgement Boy Gold’s corpse and then walked over to Hell’s Chef’s knife. “And this is evidence _I_ found!”

Steve and Gunman screeched and covered their eyes when they saw the blood all over the floor. Sarah wouldn’t be surprised if they curled up into the fetal position right there and then. The others gasped, horrified and in disbelief, Poor Conductor shooting an accusing look at Clock Master. But Devil Dog, who had only just fluttered down the hall with Gregory behind her, snorted with laughter.

“Oh that’s _rich!”_ She snickered, putting her free hand over her mouth. “Great idea, Clock Master!”

Monoputa looked elated at Devil Dog’s arrival and tossed her a Monoputa File more kindly than he did the others. _Is he treating her decently because they’re both wicked? What kind of bonding is that?_ Sarah got a little more frustrated and pursed her lips.

“I…I didn’t know!” Clock Master whined after a short while. He pressed both his hands to his temples. “This isn’t what I intended! If I knew there would have been a murder, I would have never-”

“Suuuure you wouldn’t!” Monoputa winked at him. “Well, while you suckers sort out the investigation, I’ll go hand out the rest of the files and wake up the jerks who didn’t hear me.” He snickered to himself. “I’ll bring ya the evidence bags when I’m all done! I’ll bring something for you too, Cathy. Oh, and once our lovely house trial is complete, I can _finally_ fix that hole the crybaby made in my fence with his very own gold plating, just like I promised!”

With those words, Monoputa disappeared, leaving Sarah’s mouth agape. _He was…serious about that?! I shouldn’t have expected any less from someone like him. This is all his fault, after all!_

“Monoputa will never cease to shock me with his cruelty… que cabrón!” Cactus Girl scowled, her fists bunching up. Sarah frowned, unsure of exactly when she arrived and blamed it on the alcohol still lingering in her system. “But we cannot let Gold’s death confuse us. If we lose this trial, he died in vain. How do we start?”

“We need someone to guard the body again,” Sarah commanded, taking the lead and aiding her hungover friends. “We can get the same people so let’s get Angel…” She frowned. _How exactly am I going to get her back? Is there…some sort of trigger like a sneeze?_

“Hehe, you want Miss Goody Two-Shoes? Sorry, sister, but I’m here to stay!” Devil Dog rang out a cry of bewildering laugher causing the more disoriented people to groan in complaint. Then in a huge poof of yellow smoke, Angel Dog was in Devil Dog’s place. “Oh goodness…” She smiled at everyone uncomfortably and then picked up her spirits. “I won’t let her hold me back when I have a job to do! Don’t you worry, Gold’s body is in safe hands!” She did a little twirl and winked. “Who’s going to get Hell’s Chef?”

“What’s all this about?!” Gregory Mama shouted irritably down the hall as he approached, waving the Monoputa File in her hand.

Gregory jumped and quickly exclaimed “I-I’m going to get Hell’s Chef!” He sprinted away at the fast pace no old man should be able to attain. “Start without meee!”

“I-I’ll get Neko Zombie!” Steve stuttered before racing off after Gregory. Gregory Mama gave him the creeps too and her rage made her especially terrifying.

“Another corpse!?” Gregory Mama’s own question was answered once Judgement Boy Gold was in her sights. “This wasn’t supposed to happen!”

“Well, it did!” Poor Conductor wiped a tear. “Monoputa got the best of us… I should have known this would happen!”

Everyone present began chattering amongst themselves and Sarah could tell that fingers were being pointed.

“QUIET!” Catherine exclaimed so loudly that everyone’s ears rung.

“Oww…” Gunman moaned, clutching his head.

“We need to get organized,” Catherine planted her hands on her hips and leaned towards Sarah. “Sarah, help me out. Can you get everyone ready for the investigation while I go grab more hangover medicine?”

“I sure can!” Sarah nodded vigorously. “I promise, Catherine, we’ll figure out who did this to Gold!”

“Once our headaches are gone, anyway…” Judging by his voice, Mummy Papa was clearly in pain. “Do you have to shout, Sarah?”

“Sorry…” Sarah blushed a bit. _Damn it… how am I gonna organize everyone when they’re like THIS? Gunman looks like he’s gonna puke again…_

“Don’t you worry, I’ll be back in no time,” With that reassurance, Catherine headed towards the nurse’s office.

Sarah would be lying if she said she didn’t feel a little reassured by Catherine’s words. It was nice to have _someone_ helping her out. She sucked up a deep breath and began to plot out groups in her mind.

“Alright,” Sarah began, careful to keep her voice at a pleasing volume. “Like with the guarding, we should have the same groups investigate together so-”

“Are you as dumb as Gunman?” Roulette Boy asked with what seemed like genuine curiosity. Gunman glared at the boy before hastily putting a hand over his mouth to stop himself from throwing up. “Judgement Boy is _dead!_ I have _nobody!”_

Sarah’s frustration intensified and she clenched her fists hard. _How am I supposed to help if you keep interrupting me? Ugh… I’m getting tired of this kid insulting my friends. But I need to put up with it. We need to work together._

“I understand that, Roulette Boy…” she continued, trying to keep her cool. “So you can go with Clock Master and Poor Conductor.”

“Aww, those old farts?” The sadistic child groaned. “Fine. But I bet I’m gonna find heaps more evidence than them!”

“Ohhh!” Poor Conductor looked deeply offended. “H-how- How could you?!”

“Kids will be kids…” Clock Master snickered. “Find all the evidence you can, Roulette Boy! This old fart will have to work hard to keep up with you!”

Sarah shook her head and, despite the situation, couldn’t help smiling a little. “You three can check around the bar and look for more clues. I’ll take Gunman-”

No sooner had she spoken those words, Cactus Gunman really did throw up and everyone back pedalled away.

“UGH,” Gregory Mama covered her mouth and looked away in disgust.

He groaned and rolled onto his back. When his sister approached he raised a hand to stop her. “I am okay…I am… a tough hombre…”

“-and we can oversee everything…” Sarah continued, casting Gunman a cautious glance. “Cactus Girl, can you please go with Steve and see if Neko Zombie knows anything?”

Cactus Girl nodded with determination after trying to fuss over her brother. “Si, you can count on me to do anything to solve this case.”

“Gregory Mama and Mummy Papa? Can you check on Gregory and look for evidence in the kitchen? Since this is Chef’s knife… he’s our top suspect…”

“Hmph, fine,” Gregory Mama crossed her arms and looked away.

“It’s really no problem,” Mummy Papa insisted. “But I would like Catherine to come back with medicine before we begin.”

“Say no more, dear!” Catherine charged down the hall with a spoon and a bottle of medicine in one hand. She spotted Gunman on the floor with his puddle of vomit. “Oh my, well, I’ll take care of you in no time, sweetheart. Open wide~”

Sarah sighed a bit and settled down as she waited for Gunman to feel better. He’d be no use helping with the case in this condition, after all.

As Cactus Girl passed by her on her way to Neko Zombie’s room, she paused to lean over and whisper: “Take care of my brother. I can tell just by looking that this is too much for him.”

“You can count on me,” Sarah whispered back, forcing a smile. “We’ll make _sure_ this case is solved.”

“After what you two did last time, I don’t doubt it,” Cactus Girl gave Sarah a little wave and said “Buena suerte.” before heading off.

Sarah knew she would need all the luck she could get. Casting Gold’s dead body a look, she felt her heart grow heavy. He had wanted so badly to live through this, but right when he found his drive, his life was taken from him.

A soft bell ringing floated through the hall and Death was suddenly looming over Gold’s body.

“Hoo boy, Judgement Boy ain’t gonna be happy about this one…” Death shook his head as he raised his scythe.

Sarah summoned up all the courage she had within her and approached the reaper as he pulled Gold’s soul from his broken body.

“This one’s restless!” Death chuckled as he bottled up Gold’s soul. “He doesn’t even know who killed him!”

“Gold!” Sarah exclaimed at the soul jar. “I promise; I’m going to figure out who did this to you! I’m-I’m going to do everything I can! Everyone will! I’ll make sure of it!”

“Do you have to be so loud about it…?” Mummy Papa groaned from his spot on the ground near Catherine.

Death stared at the soul jar and then fixed his empty eyes on Sarah. “…Ah, I dunno if Monoputa would like me sayin’ this, but Gold believes in ya.”

Despite her really wanting them not to, Sarah’s eyes filled up with tears. “Th-thank you!”

“Good luck with the case there, buddy!” Death gave Sarah a two fingered salute with his free hand. “I’ve got a family reunion to officiate!” With that, Death took off.

Filled with a new drive, Sarah grinned at the downed Gunman.

“Get better soon,” She slammed a fist into an open palm. “We’ve got a lot of work to do!”

 

_GHS_

 

Gregory sighed in relief as he walked down the hall to the kitchen, a spring in his step. He smiled to himself, proud of the speedy getaway and relaxed his shoulders.

“That was a close one,” Gregory spoke his thoughts aloud. With no one down here to hear him, he slipped into that old habit. “Mama sure looked like she was going to throw a fit.”

He rounded the corner and entered the dark, chilling lobby. A flood of misery and despair washed over the old rat as he remembered what transpired here. It seemed like James’ death was worlds away from him now, yet it had only happened recently. His mind wandered to what would have happened if he and his troublemaking grandson had never come here. _It wouldn’t have been any better,_ he told himself. _A life serving Mama is worse than death_ … _. but at least James would have been able to grow up._

Gregory clenched his fists as he dragged his feet to the dining room door. “Why did _Mama_ have to come to this wretched situation with me? I can never be free of her and her yelling and her cane…If things go my way I won’t have to deal with that anymore…”

Snapping his mind to focus, he yanked the door open with his weary arms, tired from mixing drinks all night. Inside was the dining room, as empty as he had last seen it when Hell’s Chef cleaned up dinner.

“Hmm, you’d think he would have made breakfast for us.” Gregory snorted, “Not that I’m that hungry.” He paced over to the door in the kitchen, still taking in the view. “But… it is nice to have people do things for you anyway.”

He chuckled darkly and gripped the metal door handle in his wrinkled hand. It was icy in his grip and he frowned. _Did Chef leave the fridge open? That isn’t very professional of him._ Shrugging it off, Gregory eased open the door and stepped into the kitchen. A shiver ran down his spine as the cold breeze penetrated his fur.

Gregory’s eyes finally rested on the oddity in the room. “Wha- _huh?!_ Hell’s Chef!”

Before him was the intimidating candle with his back to him - but his wick was blown out. As Gregory circled Hell’s Chef, he realized that along with his flame being out, his eyes had lost their red spark and had faded to black. Gregory’s mind felt a flare of recognition, as though he had seen this before. Remembering the book Monoputa had given them all, he knew he hit the mark and chuckled darkly.

“My friend, whoever did this to you is a _terrible_ person,” Gregory continued talking out loud as he rifled through the drawers in Hell’s Chef’s kitchen. “Exploiting your weakness… My, my. Ah!”

He finally located a red box of matches and proceeded to try to light one. He watched the fire flare to life only to die almost instantly. After another exclamation of surprise, he tried a second time, only to have the same result. Gregory looked around for some hint for this phenomenon and his eyes fell on a window above the sink, next to the locked door to the garden. It was slightly ajar and a cold breeze bellowed through. Gregory blamed his inability to feel it on his old body and long jacket as he shut the window.

It was at that moment that Gregory Mama and Mummy Papa entered the room, also exclaiming in shock. Mummy Papa’s eyes were blank and thoughtful as he comprehended the scene before him while Gregory Mama’s turned straight to her no-good son.

“Gregoryyyyy! What did you do to this man?!” Her hair was beginning to stand up like it always did when she got furious. “You shouldn’t be playing games with this candle! He clearly killed Judgement Boy Gold! Now we’re stuck in this situation and all you’re doing is goofing off!”

“M-Mama, no!” Gregory stammered, fumbling for the matches. He shakily pulled one out and lit it, his frail hand quivering as he held up the match. “L-look! See? I’m helping, Mama! I swear! I’m sending him back to Angel Dog!”

He stretched up on his toes and rekindled Hell’s Chef’s wick before shaking the match until its flame died. Hell’s Chef’s eyes slowly regained their red glow, as did his flame and he looked around. Almost as if a sugar rush hit, Hell’s Chef sprinted to every corner of the kitchen to check on his cooking supplies and ingredients. Mummy Papa watched, a little puzzled.

“Is…everything there, Hell’s Chef?” He tilted his head and touched his hand to his chin.

When he finally returned to his starting point, his shoulders slumped and his eyes darted to every corner of the kitchen. “Almost…WHO-”

“Ehehehe!” Gregory giggled, oblivious to the raging he just interrupted. “Hell’s Chef, care to tell us all what is in your pants?” He had spotted something in there sticking out and not moving in time with his footsteps.

Hell’s Chef made and irritated and slightly embarrassed grunt as he moved his apron and pulled forward the waistband of his pants.

“Oh!” Mummy Papa covered his eyes. “Can you perhaps do that elsewhere?”

“Ugh! Horrible!” Gregory Mama turned her head and shielded her eyes. “And Gregory, what are you looking at?!” She added furiously, sneaking a look around her hand to peer at her son whose gaze was still focused on Hell’s Chef.

Gregory seemed to be shocked out of some sort of state. “I- er- Oh! I was-”

“Feh, don’t bother turning your head,” Hell’s Chef muttered as he let go of his pants’ elastic and it snapped back to place. In his hand was a Monoputa File. “Monoputa’s idea of a joke…”

Gregory Mama and Mummy Papa stopped hiding their faces and the latter sighed with relief. Hell’s Chef wordlessly opened the Monoputa File and studied it’s contents. Within seconds, his eyes grew three times their normal size.

“That’s my…” Hell’s Chef sprinted out of the room, his hand tightly clinging to the file. Mummy Papa seemed a little stunned by the sudden activity and Gregory Mama scowled.

“Hmph, so he finally realized he’s been caught.” She turned to her son and put her hands on her hips in a commanding fashion. “Gregory! You were supposed to bring him to Angel Dog! Follow him!”

Gregory repeatedly pressed his two pointer fingers together nervously. “But M-Mama-”

“GREGORY!”

“Y-yes Mama! Of course I’ll go!” Gregory took off out of the kitchen in the direction of Hell’s Chef. “If only to get away from you, you old hag.” he muttered.

The things he did for Mama…

 

_GHS_

 

Steve stood with his knees trembling outside of Neko Zombie’s door. He lifted his fist and knock on the door, but he couldn’t manage to put any force behind it. Steve reached for the door handle and was surprised to find that it gave way.

_Just stride in there, Steve… and tell him about what happened… he won’t hurt you…_

Squeezing his eyes shut, Steve shoved the door open and strolled into the room before he had a chance to change his mind, slamming the door behind him.

Neko Zombie let out the most unholy meow Steve had ever heard. Steve nearly wet himself and cracked one eye open to see that Neko Zombie was on all fours with his back arched and his face twisted into a scowl.

Letting out a hiss, Neko Zombie slowly approached Steve. “What are you doing here?! Leave me alone!”

“Sorry… I just… I… there was a… murder…!” Steve floundered for the right words as he walked backwards, his back thudding against the door. He slid to the floor and shielded his face from the angry cat. “Please don’t hurt me!”

“A… murder…?” Neko Zombie’s tone softened. Steve peeped through his fingers at Neko Zombie and was pleased to see that the cat’s fur was no longer standing on end.

“I’m so sorry to bother you!” Steve was tearing up now. “I-I know your reality video was rough, mine was too, and I wanted to hide too, not that hiding is a bad thing, I just had to ask if you wanted to help with the investigation or if you knew anything or if you wanted to-MMPH!”

Neko Zombie darted over to Steve and slammed a paw over his mouth. “Slow down. Start from the beginning. Who’s dead? What…exactly happened?” Neko Zombie uncovered Steve’s mouth and saw that the human boy had gone completely pale.

“J-J-Judgement Boy Gold…” Steve spluttered, his hands shaking as he recalled Gold’s broken body. “Someone cut off his head! There’s so much blood…” Hugging himself, Steve looked away from Neko Zombie.

“Huh… well, that explains why Monoputa threw something in here earlier,” Neko Zombie drew his knees up to his chest, resting a cheek on them. “I… think I’ll sit this one out.”

“B-but you _have_ to go to the trial! If you don't…” Steve trembled at the very thought of it.

Neko Zombie stared straight at him with his vibrant eyes. “And why should I keep fighting to get out of here? I don’t know what you saw in your video, but what I saw was…” Neko Zombie paused to swallow a lump in his throat. “… _horrifying._ It almost makes me want to take a page out of Mummy Papa’s book.”

“S-suicide? D-don't…” Steve wasn’t sure how to console Neko Zombie. Whenever he was faced with someone going through a crisis, he always got tongue-tied.

“I won't… only because I know what Monoputa would do. He’d say it was a murder. You’d all blame each other and you’d never figure out the truth behind it. All of you would die and none of you would get to go free, and it would all be my fault…” Neko Zombie shut his stitched-up eyes and sighed. “Only a heartless, despicable person would kill themselves knowing they’d take so many innocent lives with them.”

Steve’s heart swelled with pity for Neko Zombie. If Steve was in Neko Zombie’s position, he’d probably be crying so hard he wouldn’t be able to function, yet Neko Zombie wasn’t even shedding a single tear.

“I… I hope you don’t think this is nosy, but…” Steve wrung his hands. “…what was in your video…?”

Neko Zombie yowled as if Steve had stepped on his tail and jumped backwards, his back arched again.

“No, no, no, you don’t have to tell me! I’m sorry!” Steve fumbled to find the right words, the color draining from his face yet again.

Sighing, Neko Zombie flopped to the floor, coiling his tail around himself. “I’m just… jumpy. There’s no use in keeping this a secret… basically, I don’t have a home to go back to in my reality. Someone… I don’t know who… they killed my family. My owners. Apparently, I was always a cat, and a well-loved one, at that… but it was too good to last. The person who killed my family is the one who stitched me up, too… but the image on TV Fish was too distorted to make out who they were. I don’t know who it was, but I do know this for sure; if I went back into reality, I’d just be a regular cat again… and I’d probably still have my disfigurements. I wouldn’t be able to speak or walk on two legs, I wouldn’t live long, and I’d be stuck on the streets. No one would take in a cat that looks like this.”

“I would!” Steve said before he could stop himself. “Sorry, is that weird? It feels weird…” Steve looked away from Neko Zombie again.

“Thanks, I suppose, but… Monoputa never said _how_ we’re going back to reality. We could all end up in different parts of the world. We might not even belong to the same plane of existence or the same period of time. And who says we’d remember all this, anyway? Even if we wound up in the same place, you’d just forget about me. Besides, I’m sure a mystery will come up that we can’t solve. Only one person would go back to reality, and the rest of us would just get executed.”

“I… I… I hope you’re wrong,” Steve choked out despite the heaviness in his heart. “Everyone is so sure that we can get out of here together if we work hard. I can tell; there’s something all of us are missing. If we can solve the mystery behind this place… and find the person who’s causing all of this… maybe they’ll have no choice but to let us go…”

“You’re just like Sarah,” Neko Zombie commented. “…even if you’re not as brave as her, you’re optimistic in the face of fear. There’s no hope for me, Steve. But don’t worry. I won’t kill myself; I’ll put myself in the hands of fate. But you… I hope you can get out. You and Sarah. Both of you aren’t swayed by Monoputa’s mind games. I take it Sarah will stop at nothing to solve this case?”

“Sure seems that way!” Steve nodded, donning what he hoped was a warm smile. “She’s going to do a sweep of the investigation once Gunman feels better. He got sick from all the drinking he did. But… I actually came to ask you if-”

Steve was interrupted by a loud _THUMP_ on the door behind him.

“AHH!” Steve exclaimed, clumsily scooting out of the way. The door swung open and whacked him in the face, revealing a very frazzled looking Cactus Girl.

“Steve? Where’s Steve?” Cactus Girl looked at Neko Zombie accusingly. “What did you do to Steve?!”

Neko Zombie moved his gaze away from her and muttered: “You just hit him with the door…”

“Oh, dios mio…” Cactus Girl scattered into the room, shutting the door behind her. Steve smiled sheepishly at her, blood seeping out of his nose and onto his upper lip.

“Hey, Cactus Girl…” Before she could even apologize, Steve held up a hand. “Don’t worry about me. I was just about to ask Neko Zombie if he heard anything last night.”

“Actually…” Neko Zombie adjusted himself so he was in a sitting position, tapping his tail on the cold hard ground. “…I did hear something.”

“Really?” Steve looked at Neko Zombie with shining, interested eyes.

Cactus Girl bit her lip and untied her bandana, shoving it in Steve’s face. “Close your nose with this,” she commanded.

Blushing a bit under his freckles, Steve took the bandana from her and did as she asked.

“I don’t know how much help this will be…” Neko Zombie folded his arms. “…but lots of people passed my room last night. My ears may be sewn shut, but they still work very well. Pretty much all of them had a stumbly, drunken gait, and they were always accompanied by someone else.”

“Ah, that was me…” Cactus Girl snickered a bit, shaking her head. “Turns out no one could hold their liquor, so I had to take most of the people at the party back to their rooms. The ones that could still stand, anyway. Once I got the people who weren’t asleep on the floor back where they belonged, I went to bed too…”

“Yes, and it was quiet for a while…” Neko Zombie’s forehead creased as he thought. “…but after that I heard something strange. I heard footsteps. Someone came from the direction of the stairs and went to the kitchen… then they headed back, but they sounded like they were dragging something behind them…”

“Why didn’t you investigate the noise?!” Cactus Girl couldn’t help getting miffed. Neko Zombie just gave her a flat look.

“I was dealing with disturbing news…. If I couldn’t bring myself to sit up, I wasn’t going to look.”

“Oh…” Cactus Girl wasn’t sure what to say to that and simply looked at her knees.

“That’s all the evidence I can offer you,” Neko Zombie stifled a yawn.

“That’s great evidence, though!” Steve’s eyes were sparkling even more. “Can you repeat it for everyone in the house trial?”

“If it seems like it will help you solve the case…” Neko Zombie stretched, not even bothering to stifle his next yawn. “Steve… I think I’ll finally be able to get some sleep now that I vented. Thank you. Good luck.”

“I think that’s our cue to leave,” Cactus Girl stood up and dusted off her skirt, holding onto Steve’s arm.

Steve waved the hand with the bloodstained neckerchief in it before being led out the door by Cactus Girl.

Neko Zombie shuffled towards his creaky bed and curled up into a little ball on it.

“I hope nothing bad happens to him…” he murmured quietly to himself before closing his eyes.

 

_GHS_

 

_“GRAAAAAAAAAGH!”_

Hell’s Chef was tearing through the hotel like an angry tiger, knocking over anything that got in his way. Tables, chairs, and Steve all flew into the wall as Chef blazed by them.

“WAIT!” Gregory yelled as he did his best to keep up with the infuriated chef.

Hell’s Chef seemed to be up the stairs in the blink of an eye and Gregory huffed and puffed as he struggled up the steps.

“I’m glad he’s not… mad at _me_ …” Gregory wheezed. “I don’t want… _two_ black eyes…”

Chef skidded to a stop once he reached Judgement Boy Gold’s dead body, his chest heaving and his eyes manic.

Everyone looked at him in stunned shock, except for Angel Dog, who instantly said: “Chef, what’s-”

“WHO DID THIS?!” Hell’s Chef boomed so loudly he almost knocked everyone right off their feet. “WHO _KILLED_ THIS IDIOT WITH _MY_ KNIFE?! I’LL FILET THEM! I’LL MAKE THEM INTO A STEW!”

Cactus Gunman swallowed and stepped in front of Sarah, hoping to shield her just in case Hell’s Chef got violent. His hands hovered over his holstered guns as Chef kept ranting.

“SOMEONE _STOLE_ MY PROPERTY, AND USED IT TO _MURDER SOMEONE!_ WHEN I FOUND OUT WHO _RUINED_ MY KNIFE AND TRIED TO FRAME ME I’LL _KILL-”_

_“WHAT’S WRONG WITH YOU?!”_ Angel Dog flew right in Hell’s Chef’s face, raised her hand, and slapped him across the cheek.

The impact was so hard that everyone present could clearly hear it. Sarah winced and Gunman’s stomach tied up in a knot again. Gunman waited for Angel Dog to get swatted out of the air or something worse, but Hell’s Chef just stood there, stone still, not even blinking.

“Everyone’s really on edge, and they _suspect you!”_ Angel Dog planted her fists on her hips, still dangerously close to Hell’s Chef’s stunned face. “If you act like this, everyone will resent you more! Calm. Down. And. Help. I don’t think you did this, and if you want to prove it, you’re going to have to calm down and stop acting like a big baby!”

Hell’s Chef’s head turned towards Angel Dog slowly and he wiped at his eyes. “…”

“Well?” Angel Dog urged, smacking him on the shoulder with her wand. “Say something!”

“…you're… right…” Hell’s Chef admitted. “But NEVER slap me again!” He raised a fist threateningly at Angel Dog and she hit that with her wand too.

“Behave and help me guard the body and I won’t,” Angel Dog stuck her tongue out at him and he growled.

“Y-you’re amazing, senorita!” Cactus Gunman looked at Angel Dog with his eyes glittering with admiration. “I’ve never seen anything like that!”

“No kidding, that was incredible!” Sarah popped out from behind Gunman to beam at Angel Dog.

“I should try that one of these days…” Catherine’s tongue slipped out of her mouth as her mind ran wild with possibilities.

Angel Dog gave the group her brightest smile, doing her best to hide the fact that her heart was pounding a mile a minute. She was surprised Chef didn’t slam her into the wall and murder her right then and there… but she was glad she went with her instincts to protect the others. Someone had to keep Chef in check, after all!

“Where’s Monoputa…?” Catherine tapped a pointy nail against her chin. “He said he’d be back with our evidence bags and, more importantly, something for me.”

“I’m right here!” Monoputa announced cheerily, popping out of nowhere. Sarah wrinkled her nose when she noticed he was still caked in blood. “I _know_ not to keep the ladies waiting,” He winked at Catherine.

“No lady would wait for you. Especially when there is a dead body on the scene,” Catherine retorted. “Now… do you have it?”

“Of course! I _also know_ to get the ladies what they want,” he waggled his eyebrows.

“Can you get on with it already?” Angel Dog folded her arms.

“With pleasure, _m'lady._ Evidence bags for all of you bastards because you couldn’t do a thing without me!” He spun around on the spot, letting the precise number of evidence bags fly at their intended targets. When he was done he took a little bow. “Ta-da~!  Oh, by the way, Death said my evidence system was crap so I modified the bags.  Now all of you get your own little pocket dimension in there!  Don’t worry, they won’t rip your arms off anymore.  I promise~”

Sarah studied her bag. Nothing was new about the appearance and all the bags looked identical so it was impossible to tell if she had it before. Shrugging, she stuffed it into her pocket and glanced at Gunman who was doing the same. _We can finally get started on collecting evidence and figuring out who did this! I know we can definitely pull through!_

“I almost forgot!” He ran as fast as his stubby legs would take him to the bar door and peered inside. “Guess who, bastards? A present for the three of you!” Monoputa tossed three more evidence bags turned back to the others. “Okay, _now_ I’m done!”

“This can’t be all you have,” Catherine put her hands on her hips and looked at Monoputa impatiently. “Come on, what do you have for me? I’ve got work to do, make it fast.”

Monoputa put his hands in front of his mouth and giggled. “Oh, but it’s related to your work. I brought you…NEEDLES!”

“You did?! Really?!” Catherine exclaimed breathlessly, clutching her hands together next to her face. When she saw the looks others were giving her, she hurriedly adjusted her posture to one of disbelief and adopted a sceptical tone. “I mean, really?”

“Of course! Presenting…” He put his hands behind his back and after a few seconds of dramatic pause, put his open palms in front of her. “…THE NEEDLES!”

Resting on Monoputa’s outstretched palms were absolutely two miniscule needles; Catherine’s face fell and she looked positively betrayed. _I don’t understand what is with her and needles,_ Sarah recalled the times she had seen Catherine fantasise over them. _But I know that that was beyond cruel to crush her hope like that._

“O-oh. I see,” Catherine half-heartedly took the needles from Monoputa’s bloody hands.

“Teehee, aren’t I the nicest?” Monoputa put his hands behind his head as though he were reclining.

“Absolutely,” Sarah commented sarcastically, rolling her eyes. “Couldn’t be better.”

“I’m glad you think so, Sarah!” He winked at her. “And I was beginning to think you hated me!”

Sarah just scowled back. _I won’t play his stupid games. He’s the one behind all of this. Behind all of the murders, all the deaths. Everything._ Monoputa looked away and addressed everyone, ignoring Sarah and grandly opening his arms.

“And I’m off to share my kindness to all the others! Good luuuck~!” He disappeared, leaving silence and purpose.

“Well, these will have to do…” Catherine sighed, rolling the needles around in her palm. “I would have preferred bigger and more…versatile needles. I guess I need to work with what I’ve got.” She turned to Gold’s body, bent down and began to work.

_I can’t let her do all the work. I need to play my part too._ “Are you feeling better, Gunman?” Sarah asked with genuine concern.

He turned to face her and straightened his hat. “Si, senorita. I am feeling much better,” he assured her although his face was still a little pale.

Sarah was glad he was pushing through and shot him a giant grin. “Then let’s start, shall we?”


	12. Blood Tests

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Here you go, guys, part 2 of the investigation! We’re very excited to get to the trial so we hope you guys are stoked too!_   
>  _The amazing art this chapter is done by shortlifelongart~_

“What do you need those needles for anyway, Catherine?” Sarah asked.

Before heading off on their excursion, Sarah figured she had better see what Catherine was up to.

“Well…” Catherine hummed to herself as she filled one of the small needles with Gold’s blood. “I noticed something… odd here.”

“Odd?” Cactus Gunman parroted, squinting at the corpse. He reflexively covered his nose; the smell of Gold’s oily blood was as subtle as a brick to the face.

“When I mopped up Gold’s nosebleed after his motive, I couldn’t help noticing how… distinctive his blood was…” Catherine put the now full needle aside to turn to Gunman and Sarah, resting her hands on her cheeks. “It was so thick and such a rich color… I couldn’t get it out of my mind!”

“That's… nice…” Gunman offered, pointedly taking a few steps back from her.

“I can pick it out in a crowd, so to speak,” Catherine winked at him. “So it’s easy for me to see that not all the blood here is Gold’s.”

“Do you think…?” Sarah cast a nervous glance at Chef, who was wrapped up in angrily staring at a wall.

“Don’t blame him just yet,” Catherine tsk-tsked, reaching for the empty needle. “I think there might have been a fight here. Poor Gold has a huge gash on his back and some of his gold plating has come off… I’ll spare you the sight, but his stomach and face are both really chipped…” Catherine sighed mournfully, a tear making its way down her cheek.

Sarah and Cactus Gunman both looked at Gold’s back and, sure enough, an enormous, deep cut stretched along it. Much to Sarah’s horror, the cut was deep enough to see musculature intermingling with wiring underneath Gold’s metal coating.

“It’s a shame it’s only plating, but there _is_ such interesting anatomy on this young man…” Catherine took blood from another spot on the hardwood floor. Her voice dropped lower and Sarah could have sworn she heard her say “I wonder what the rest of his insides look like…”

Sarah dismissed it as a delusion, shaking her head rapidly.

“I’m going to run tests on both vials of blood and see if I’m right,” Catherine finished filling up the second needle and sighed contentedly. “Ahhhh, there we go! I _know_ I’ll find something that will help.”

“Good luck!” Gunman tipped his hat to her and Catherine giggled girlishly.

“I’m going to miss Gold… but that motivates me to work extra hard!” With a wink, Catherine sashayed to the nurse’s office, humming yet again.

_Catherine really is something,_ Sarah analyzed. _She’s the perfect mix of a professional and a romantic, even if she is a little odd. She can knuckle down when she needs to and can have a good time as well. I hope we don’t lose her; she’s a valuable asset._ Sarah scolded herself for even _thinking_ of losing someone else, especially if she didn’t have proof she was the murderer.

“Senorita… look at this!” Gunman called out to her. He had wandered near the door to the bar and was pointing at the ground. “I-it can’t be…?”

Sarah followed his finger. He was pointing to a series of red splodges scattered between the bar and Gold’s disfigured body that glimmered in the candlelight. She had one guess. “It is. It’s blood.”

“Th-then, there really was a struggle?” Gunman gasped as he covered his hands over his mouth.

“Unfortunately, it seems that way,” she looked over at Gold’s shining corpse. “Poor Gold must have been terrified…”

She clenched her fists determinedly. _And I won’t rest until I find out who did this to him._

“Come on, Gunman,” Sarah strode over to the door of the bar and held the handle in her fist. “Let’s see if these guys found anything.”

Her companion eyed the blood uncomfortably as his legs led him to her call like a dog to it’s owner. Opening the door, the pair were greeted by three pairs of eyes.

“Aww, I got excited for a second,” Roulette Boy whined. “But it’s just Gunman… Why couldn’t it be someone cool?”

Cactus Gunman glared at the child and shook his fist. “I- I _am_ cool! I am tough! No hombre can stand up to this cactus!”

Roulette Boy touched an innocent hand to his chin and tilted his head. “But that’s just what you _say_ , isn’t it?” His tone accusing, rather than curious.

Gunman’s words caught in his throat as he tried to retaliate. “Uh…I…See…”

“Leave him alone, Roulette Boy, this is serious,” Sarah scolded.

“Come now, Sarah,” Clock Master smiled good humouredly. “These are dark times. Let the boy have a bit of-”

“Gunman is a cow-ard! Gunman is a cow-ard!” Roulette Boy sang, hopping in a circle.

“N-no! I am not!” Gunman feebly insisted. No matter how hard he tried, the child continued to sing his cruel song.

“-fun…” Clock Master finished. Sarah raised an eyebrow at him and he shrugged, smiling helplessly.

“Ohhh! Children have fallen so far!” Poor Conductor sighed dramatically, the spotlight falling on his sorrowful face once again. “There was such a time when children were kind; when they enjoyed my music! Now they taunt and tease their elders that they once were led to respect. Oh, the humanity!”

“Maybe I’d respect you more if you weren’t so whiny…” A shadow fell across Roulette Boy’s face as he rolled his eyes at Poor Conductor. Poor Conductor made a sorrowful noise and clutched his heart.

“Roulette Boy, be good and tell them what we found,” Clock Master crouched down to Roulette Boy’s level, giving him an encouraging, gentle push on the back.

“Ooh, yeah! Well, that table and those chairs over there are knocked over, which I’m sure you noticed…” Roulette Boy pointed to the table closest to the door, the one Sarah had been sitting at during the party.

Sarah actually hadn’t noticed. One of the table legs had come off, too. Did something collide with it?

“…and the carpet here’s all ripped up…” Roulette Boy bent down to tap the ground. Sure enough, there were several tears in the carpet, but they were small. “Aaaaand, I found these!” He held out his extended palm to Sarah. In his tiny hand were several golden fragments.

Poor Conductor wiped his tears and sniffled: “We think Judgement Boy Gold got dragged into the hallway, before…”

“He got his head cut off!” Roulette Boy gleefully finished Poor Conductor’s sentence, jumping excitedly with his arms in the air. “Probably so the noise wouldn’t wake up all you lazy drunks!”

Surprisingly, Roulette Boy had a point. Sarah couldn’t exactly put carpet tears or a knocked over table into her evidence bag, but she definitely made a mental note for later.

“See? The boy’s not all bad,” Clock Master smiled. “Now put those little pieces into your evidence bag, Roulette Boy.”

“Yeah, don’t want these dummies losing these for us!” He smiled like Gunman and Sarah weren’t in the room and followed Clock Master’s instructions.

“Whoever dragged him into the hallway must be very strong…” Cactus Gunman intentionally changed the subject and stroked his mustache in thought.

“Hell’s Chef can carry around that big, heavy knife like it’s nothing,” Sarah bit her lip and cast a nervous glance at the door, hoping the short-tempered cook couldn’t hear her. “This evidence doesn’t exactly clear him.”

“He’s horrifying…” Poor Conductor blubbered. “Not to mention an elitist. If you give him the smallest bit of constructive criticism on his food, he gets upset!”

“I don’t know, I think you two have a lot in common…” Clock Master mumbled, which sent Roulette Boy into a fit of giggles.

Poor Conductor ignored that comment and turned his attention to Sarah and Gunman, his fists clenched. “And that is all we found.”

“Do we look elsewhere, senorita?” Gunman asked eagerly. He couldn’t _stand_ being around Roulette Boy.

“Hmm,” Sarah held her chin as she pondered. “We don’t have all the pieces yet, I’m sure of that. I just have one more question.”

Gunman hung his head in defeat and sighed. Sarah glanced at him sympathetically before looking to Roulette Boy.

“Where _exactly_ did you find those gold pieces?”

The child giggled. “They really are _Gold_ pieces, get it?” When Sarah’s expression didn’t change in the slightest, he scowled and huffed. “I found them over there, dummy.”

Roulette Boy pointed to a floorboard in front of the doorway. Sarah tilted her head. _I don’t see what makes that spot so special… Wait a second._ She strode over to the spot and knelt down on the floor.

“Do you see anything?” Gunman asked, smiling to himself about Sarah’s intelligence.

“We all do. It’s just you who can’t!” Roulette Boy stuck his tongue out at him.

Ignoring the child, Sarah responded to Gunman’s query. “There _is_ something distinctive about this spot: this floorboard is jutting up pretty high. Gold was probably dragged over this spot and that’s why those fragments came off.”

“Well spotted, Sarah,” Clock Master clapped a little too loud, then held his head in pain.

“Hey, it was _me_ who found them first so _I_ knew that too!” Roulette Boy insisted, refusing to let his discovery be overshadowed by her addition.

Clock Master grinned at him. “Of course you did, boy. No one doubts that.”

Gunman and Poor Conductor exchanged a glance. Their faces displayed they were equally fed up with Roulette Boy’s antics.

“And if anyone does, they’ll regret it,” Roulette Boy nodded as he eyed the two men who jumped a little and acted nonchalant.

“Hahaha, of course they will!” After a belly laugh, Clock Master patted Roulette Boy on his wheel. “You’re sharp as a tack, kiddo! I’m proud of you.”

Roulette Boy beamed up at Clock Master before sticking his tongue out at Poor Conductor and Cactus Gunman.

“Oh, I have a final question. Did either of you notice anything weird at the party? I don’t remember much, and I assume Gunman doesn't…” Sarah looked over at him and he smiled sheepishly and shook his head no.

“Can’t remember a thing!” Clock Master threw his head back and laughed. “I completely blacked out!”

Sarah pressed her lips into a tight line. She had no idea how Clock Master could bounce back from the trauma of a murder so quickly, and it had been one that had occurred at a party he hosted, even.

“I don’t remember anything strange…” Poor Conductor rubbed his temples. “I remember talking with Mummy Papa and Gregory, and they both seemed completely fine. I don’t think either of them did this…”

“It _must_ be Chef!” Roulette Boy bounced joyfully. “Yay! This stupid trial’s going to be really short!”

“Don’t say that yet, _mocoso,”_ Cactus Gunman squinted at Roulette Boy. “We can’t afford to make mistakes.”

“Hmph,” Roulette Boy pouted and folded his arms.

“I think we’ve squeezed all the evidence we can out of these three,” Sarah leaned over so she could look Gunman in the eye, giving him a weak smile. “How about we ask Chef what his alibi is?”

“Are you suicidal, senorita?” Cactus Gunman looked at her with horror. “This is no job for a girl like you. I’ll do the asking. I would feel guilty forever if he did anything to hurt you.”

“Grooooooss,” Roulette Boy stuck a finger in his mouth and feigned a gag.

Ignoring Roulette Boy, Sarah turned to Clock Master and Poor Conductor. “If you find anything else, please bring it up at the trial.”

“You can count on my aid,” Poor Conductor bowed gallantly and Clock Master nodded with a grin.

With that, Sarah and Gunman headed into the hallway and toward Gold’s body.

 

_GHS_

 

Angel Dog and Hell’s Chef had covered the body, much like last time. Gold required two blankets in order to be completely covered, but the bloody splatter that the knife was stuck into was left out in the open.

Angel Dog and Hell’s Chef were talking quietly to one another, which surprised Sarah since she thought Chef was physically incapable of speaking softly.

“Hell’s Chef?” Cactus Gunman approached the towering man, one of his hands hovering over a gun holster. “Sorry to interrupt but we-er, _I_ need to ask you some things about the case.”

“Grrrrr…” Hell’s Chef’s fists clenched and his eyes narrowed into a glare.

“Calm down,” Angel Dog frowned at him. “Cactus Gunman isn’t accusing you. If you have a solid alibi, you can clear your name.”

“Please, senor, cooperate and tell us what you were doing at the time of the murder,” Cactus Gunman looked at Hell’s Chef pleadingly.

“I was… cooking… during the party…” Hell’s Chef began, steepling his fingers.

Sarah let out a colossal sigh of relief. He was actually cooperating! She made a mental note to thank Gunman later.

“Later at night… I left, to go grab a special ingredient from my room, but when I came back… the window was open and the kitchen was cold. I went to close it, but the wind was really strong.” Sarah could hear Chef grinding his teeth beneath his collar. “It… blew out my flame. I couldn’t move. Someone did that on purpose… someone read the book…!” Hell’s Chef’s voice was simmering now and his fists were squeezed tight and shaking.

“What about the book?” Sarah asked, attempting to approach Chef only to be stopped by Gunman sticking out his arm in her path.

“AAAAARGH, Monoputa wrote about my FLAME!” Hell’s Chef pointed at the fire burning at the top of his head. “I burned my book because I was ANGRY ABOUT THAT! If my fire goes out, I stop moving! Someone opened that window on _purpose_ and so they could STEAL my knife!”

Angel Dog’s mouth was hanging open. “But… but who read the book? Did you see anyone looking at you strangely, Chef? Did you hear anyone walking in the kitchen when you left?”

“NO!” Hell’s Chef roared. “No one! Argh, when I find out who did this, I'll…”

“Chef…” Angel Dog floated close to him and placed her hands on his shoulders. “Calm down. Your alibi is solid. You might have just saved yourself… and the rest of us.”

Hell’s Chef took a few heavy, sharp breaths.

Despite Gunman not wanting her to, Sarah spoke up. “Thank you, Chef. This is a big help.” Sarah gave him her most non-threatening smile.

Hell’s Chef turned away from her, pulling his collar further up his face. “…hmph.”

“We’re going to go check the kitchen and see if we can figure out who did that to you,” Sarah kept her voice gentle.

Hell’s Chef turned to glare at her again, but not with his usual hardness. “Don’t touch my cookware.”

“W-we won’t, senor!” Cactus Gunman held up his hands. _We do value our lives._

Angel Dog flew very close to Sarah so she could whisper in her ear.

“Hey, I’d appreciate it if you don’t tell Chef who you suspect. Judging by the way he keeps talking to me, he might… tear them to shreds before we even go to the trial.” Sarah turned to Angel Dog to see that she was nervously biting her lip. “The last thing I want is to see Chef get executed. He’s trying so hard to keep his temper in check… I _know_ he didn’t do this, Sarah.”

“If it’ll keep everyone safer, you have my word, Angel Dog,” Sarah complied.

“I knew I could count on you,” Angel Dog gave her a genuine smile and drew back as Hell’s Chef cast Sarah a suspicious look.

“Believe me, Hell’s Chef, we’ll do our best to find the _truth_ behind who set you up,” Sarah insisted confidently.

Hell’s Chef nodded in reply, satisfied their whispers were not against him.

“Come along, senorita,” Gunman gestured for Sarah to follow him as he headed to the staircase. “There is much to be done.”

Sarah started after him, bidding her friends goodbye as she walked.

 

_GHS_

 

The two entered the kitchen to find Gregory Mama verbally tearing into Mummy Papa.

“What do you MEAN there’s no evidence here?!” She shouted, gesticulating wildly. “Are you _blind?!_ There _must_ be something! This is the culprit’s base of operations!”

“Remember, earlier, Gregory said… the window was open…” Mummy Papa pointed to the window by the locked garden door. “I think that’s the only evidence we have… also, can you not shout? My head is killing me…” Mummy Papa clutched his head, wrinkling his nose in pain.

“I’ll shout all I want!” Gregory Mama looked like she was about to hit Mummy Papa with her cane. “How is an open window _evidence?!”_

Sarah cleared her throat loudly and Gregory Mama whipped towards her, her cheeks bright red.

“What do _you_ want?” Gregory Mama spat, sticking out a hip and resting a hand on it.

“I think you should let Mummy Papa say his piece, he might have an important idea…” Sarah offered. “Fighting and yelling will get us nowhere.”

Cactus Gunman nodded. “Let him speak, senorita.”

“Hmph, _fine,”_ Gregory Mama mumbled something about Sarah being bossy before gesturing defeatedly at Mummy Papa.

“Gregory told me that… Hell’s Chef’s candle was out because of a draft, but…” Mummy Papa wiped a bit of blood off his forehead like it was nothing. “I think Chef might have opened the window on purpose, to make himself look innocent.”

“Y-you think so, senor?!” Gunman was taken aback by this turn of events.

“But-” Sarah began.

“Hmph, maybe that _is_ evidence,” Gregory Mama admitted. “It was his knife at the scene; there’s no possible way it wasn’t him. That waxy oaf never lets it out of his sight and no one with any sense would go into his _precious_ kitchen while he was there. No one else could have opened that window.” She turned to Mummy Papa who was looking at her blankly. “How did someone like _you_ think of that?”

Mummy Papa didn’t seem at all offended and pondered the question as though it were a serious issue. “I think… It just made sense.”

“But Hell’s Chef said it was open after he left to get an ingredient,” Sarah insisted. “We can’t rule out what he says just yet.”

“Why not?” Gregory Mama asked irritably. “No one saw him or heard him. He’s obviously just making up lies so he can leave.”

“I wonder what his motive was…” Mummy Papa pondered, screwing up his face in thought once more.

“Tch, probably saw some famous recipe in his video, knowing that fool,” she huffed. “From what I’ve seen of that ridiculous cook, he…”

As Gregory Mama continued her rant, Sarah zoned out. _Is it possible Hell’s Chef did it? I trust Angel Dog’s judgement and that knife is just too obvious… Someone has to be setting him up, right?_

“Senorita?” Gunman’s soft voice shattered her thoughts into glimmering shards. He continued as she looked to him. “I do not think we will find much else here. Should we move on?” _Not to mention Gregory Mama is terrifying!_

Sarah glanced over at the other two who were still coming up with convoluted theories about Hell’s Chef’s method of blowing his candle out. She sighed in defeat and turned to Gunman.

“Yeah, you’re right. We don’t have time to sit here and listen to these two jump to conclusions. We need to find Steve and Cactus Girl,” she nodded with a new spark of hope within her. “I’m sure they can help untangle this mess.”

“Oh thank goodness,” he whispered inaudibly.

“What was that?”

“Er, that was a bit soft, wasn’t it? I meant to say ‘sorry for our rudeness, Mummy Papa and Gregory Mama, but we must be going’.” Gunman hastily covered for himself.

Gregory Mama snorted. “You won’t be missed; you hardly helped at all.”

“Good luck,” Mummy Papa smiled obliviously.

_At least he appreciates we’re trying._ “Good luck to you too.”

As Cactus Gunman and Sarah walked down the hall a minute later, Gunman couldn’t help noticing the grim look on Sarah’s face. Her eyes were downcast and she was biting her lip.

“Senorita…” Cactus Gunman took gentle hold of her arm so she’d stop walking. “Are you okay?”

“I… it seems like every piece of evidence we get contradicts another…” Sarah chewed on her thumbnail, staring at the wall across from them. “I’m not feeling very confident about this trial…”

“Senorita, don’t speak like that!” Cactus Gunman leaned forward, fists clenched in determination. “This is not all on you. Everyone in the house will work hard to figure out who killed Judgement Boy Gold. What has happened to your positive attitude?”

“It’s hard to stay positive when the odds aren’t in our favor…” Sarah looked at Gunman, her brow knitted. “Whoever the murderer is, they did an amazing job covering their tracks…”

Gunman’s eyes suddenly widened. “Senorita, what about what Catherine found?”

“What about it…?”

“Surely she’s done with the tests by now… if there are indeed two types of blood, maybe she can figure out who killed Gold?” Cactus Gunman did his best to smile broadly, hoping to make Sarah stop frowning. “She _does_ seem to know her blood, after all. Shall we go to the nurse’s office?”

“Good idea…” Sarah gave Gunman a small but genuine smile of gratitude, which almost made Gunman’s heart burst. “Maybe what Catherine found can clear the fog in my head.”

With Cactus Gunman leading the way, the pair headed to Catherine’s office.

 

_GHS_

 

Sarah knocked gently on the door to the nurse’s office and was surprised when it swung open almost instantly, a beaming Catherine on the other side.

“Guess who was right?” Catherine posed with her hands on her hips, smugly raising her nose.

“Was it you?” Gunman couldn’t help smiling back and even Sarah’s eyes began to light up a little.

“Mmm-hmm!” Catherine grabbed each of them by an arm and pulled them into her office. “Come take a look!”

Catherine’s makeshift blood testing station was impressive. She had a microscope set up, the blood filled needles carefully placed into a holder, and small drops of blood on a metal sheet. There was also a stack of notes done in neat, girlish handwriting. Closer examination revealed that Catherine dotted her i’s with little hearts, in true professional fashion.

“Gold’s blood is completely different in composition than the culprit’s blood,” Catherine explained, gesturing to the microscope. “But the culprit… I can’t place who they are. Their blood is fairly standard. It could be anyone's… during the trial I might ask people to show any hidden injuries…”

“Uh… I think most people would refuse that…” Sarah sweated a little.

“I have _methods_ to make people listen to my orders,” Catherine said with a glint in her eye that made Sarah nervous and Gunman blush. “This confirms that there was a struggle… but the scrapes on Gold’s face are… strange, if that’s the case. I think the culprit may have knocked him over and caused him to skid along the floor. The flaked off plating couldn’t have been done with a knife like _that._ The book said Hell’s Chef’s knife could cut through elephant bones like they were hot butter…”

“Wait, you read the book?!” Sarah’s eyes widened in shock.

“N-not the whole thing!” Catherine backpedaled, but she rested her hands on her cheeks, her face flushing a deep scarlet. “Just _everything_ about Chef… the book has the likes, dislikes, and everything you could possibly want to know about a person in there! Did you know he enjoys growing his own herbs? How precious! It’s a shame he can’t do that here… uh…”

Catherine came down from cloud nine only to see that Cactus Gunman and Sarah were looking at her like she had just grown a second head from her neck.

“I’m sorry…” Catherine blushed even more deeply. “I’m just…”

“Don’t worry, senorita, I understand how love can cloud one’s mind,” Cactus Gunman’s eyes were glimmering and Sarah rolled her eyes. “But… do you think this clears Hell’s Chef?”

“Well… that’s the thing…” Catherine scratched her head. “I saw Hell’s Chef cut himself when he was cooking, and it wasn’t exactly a small cut… but only one drop of blood came out of his finger. If it had been anyone else, they would have bled enough to make a _huge_ mess. I think he has much less blood than the rest of us.”

Catherine sounded a little disappointed about that, but Sarah was delighted to hear it.

“Mummy Papa and Gregory Mama must have been wrong about Chef opening the window himself!” Sarah was excited now, bouncing a bit. “But… this means someone else read the book! Chef said him shutting down when his candle went out was written in there!”

“One of us should put our book in an evidence bag…” Cactus Gunman sighed mournfully. “I should have known that someone would betray everyone’s trust…”

“I’ll do it, sweetie,” Catherine moved to her shelf and grabbed the damned book. “I’ll be glad to get this out of my sight. I’m so sorry I read it…”

“Don’t apologize, Catherine, you weren’t reading it to plot a murder,” Sarah said warmly. “But, uh, I wouldn’t say that you read it in court.”

“Oh my gosh, NEVER! I’d be mortified if Chef knew…!” Catherine put her hands on her cheeks again. “But who knows… maybe he’d be receptive to my fascination… that man sure is an enigma…”

_You’re an enigma,_ Sarah almost said, instead sighing under her breath.

“Thank you for your help, senorita,” Gunman tipped his hat to Catherine as she put her book into her evidence bag. “I have no doubts that you will clear the name of the man you adore.”

Catherine dropped her evidence bag and openly swooned. “Ahhh, thank you! And good luck to you too on your-”

“HEY HEY HEY!” Catherine was interrupted by Monoputa’s voice echoing over the intercom.

“Oh no…” Sarah paled.

“The house trial is starting soon~! I’ll be waiting at the elevator! Be there or be square! Oh, wait, you already are!” Monoputa burst into loud laughter at his own joke before the intercom went silent.

“B-but there’s so much we don’t know yet! And we didn’t check on Cactus Girl and Steve and Neko Zombie, and-” Sarah was silenced by Gunman resting his hand on her shoulder.

“We did this before, we can do this again,” Cactus Gunman looked dead into Sarah’s tear-filled eyes. “Like I said, this isn’t all on you. I’ll be supporting you every step of the way… oh, and, so will the others”

“Wow… so brave…” Catherine commented, fanning herself.

Little did the two women know, Gunman was just a hair away from wetting himself.

“Thanks, Gunman…” Sarah wiped away her tears and did her best to look determined. “I’m happy to have you helping me.”

Cactus Gunman quickly drew his hand away from Sarah and whirled around, covering his face so he wouldn’t see her blush.

“W-well, I’m just telling the truth…”

“Hehehe…” Catherine looked between the two of them as she put her notes into her evidence bag. “I think we should get going. We have a murderer to catch.”

 

_GHS_

 

As the three of them approached the elevator, they found a large crowd was already there, chatting apprehensively amongst themselves. Catherine had switched into serious mode and looked around doing a mental head count.

“We’re missing one,” she noted.

“Correctamundo, Catherine!” Monoputa exclaimed as loudly as he could as he appeared right next to Gunman.

If that exclamation didn’t get everyone’s attention, Gunman’s scream sure did. Everyone’s eyes were focused on the extremely embarrassed cactus who seemed to be at a loss for words.

“Haha!” Roulette Boy laughed, breaking the silence. “I told you! I told all of you!” He hopped around in a circle, singing his favourite song. “Gunman is a cow-ard! Gunman is a cow-ard!”

Cactus Girl turned bright red with rage and ground her teeth, glaring daggers at Roulette Boy. That did nothing to shut him up, though.

While he continued to sing, Monoputa snickered. “This kid’s smarter than Sarah. If you want to get out of here so much, I’d suggest a different partner.” Sarah didn’t budge and narrowed her eyes. “Ah, I see your tactic! Keep the lovesick puppy happy so he plays right into your hands! Very good! I like it! It gets the Monoputa tick of approval!”

“Wh-what?!” Sarah was caught off guard. “No! That- That’s not why-”

“You just keep saying that, sister! Now I wanna get this trial on the road and we’re missing our favourite sourpuss!” He tapped his foot impatiently. “I gotta do everything, don’t I?”

He disappeared without a trace leaving everyone guessing as to what he meant.

“Ha, kitty’s gonna get it!” Roulette Boy cheered.

“Oh! You mustn’t cheer about such things!” Poor Conductor gasped. His shoulders slumped and he sighed. “But that is probably what will happen…”

“Y-you think so?!” Steve gripped his hair and looked extremely distraught. _Neko Zombie’s already been through so much!_

Cactus Girl tried to console him and put her hand on his shoulder. “Try to relax, Steve. I am sure it will not be so-”

“MRRROOOWWW!”

“N-Neko Zombie!” Steve yelled, looking fearfully at the door to the lobby.

Sarah saw Gunman’s knees knocking out of the corner of her eye as silence echoed throughout the room. Everyone was frozen, apprehensively waiting for what was to follow.

“Neko Zombie?” Sarah called tentatively.

_BOOM!_

“Sorry to keep you bastards waiting!” Monoputa smiled as he walked through the lobby door which he had just loudly kicked open.

 

In his tiny, yet powerful hands he was dragging Neko Zombie in by the tail. The stitched-up feline had a melancholic expression and he let out a depressed 'mrrow’ every so often.

“Now, to the house trial!” He gestured with one hand to the elevator door which soundless slid open. “Get in before you get punished~!”

A shiver of fear struck like lightning and everyone filed into the dull elevator which would lead them to the horrific, confusing case that lay ahead. Monoputa nodded with satisfaction.

“Thaaat’s more like it,” he tugged on Neko Zombie’s tail and pulled him into the elevator with the others. “You’re really light, Neko Zombie. Heh, it’s almost as if you’re a hungry, stray cat! Oh wait, you are! Ahahahaha!”

“Mrrow…” Neko Zombie moaned as his heartstrings felt like they were being pulled apart. He curled up in the corner of the elevator miserably as Monoputa kept on cackling.

_He’s a stray? Is that what his reality video showed him?_ “It’s not funny, Monoputa. Leave him alone,” Sarah commanded sternly, having zero tolerance for any more harsh treatment of Neko Zombie.

“Oh? Isn’t it? At least I have my dream job, toots,” Monoputa teased, sticking out his tongue.

Sarah’s breath caught in her throat as a flash of pain and nostalgia rushed through her like a flowing river. _How does he…? How_ _does_ _he know what was in my video…_ She answered herself scathingly. She had no reply and looked away.

“Ehehe, I finally shut her up!” Monoputa held his hands to his face. “A victory in Monoputa history! Whelp, see you sad sacks on the other side!” He made a dramatic gesture to the door, which slid shut and vanished once more.

The elevator rumbled and began its descent. A wave of sadness washed over Sarah like a flood as she remembered how she had been with Judgement Boy when she was last here. And it was the last time she held him in her arms. _No. I can’t let myself feel down. I need to focus on what’s happening now. We have to pull through this trial, no matter how difficult it seems or what Monoputa says to us. And Gunman was right,_ she looked at him and saw he was shaking with fear, then glanced over everyone else. _I’m not alone. I’m sure if we all work together, we can get through this and be free._ The elevator jolted to a stop and the doors slid open once more. Slowly, everyone wordlessly exited and waited for Monoputa. Sarah squeezed her eyes shut and repeated her new mantra. _If we get through this, we can go home._


	13. Case 2 Trial Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Hey guys! Got another chapter for you, the long awaited beginning of the trial!_   
>  _Art this chapter is by shortlifelongart, as always~ Let her know how you feel about it!_   
>  _Feel free to tell Ven and I your theories about who was the murderer too!_   
>  _I hope you guys enjoy this chapter~ The second half will be coming as soon as possible._

The elevator came to a halt and the door opened to reveal a blindingly bright room.

Sarah’s jaw dropped. This wasn’t the dark, dreary trial room that they had solved the last mystery in. It still had Monoputa’s throne, the bonsai, and the podiums, but the walls were now a golden orange, with murals of sunrises and beautiful beaches delicately painted on long, flat sections of the walls.

“Like it?” Monoputa hopped out of the elevator and posed in front of everyone, a big grin on his face. “Got some of my buddies to redo the room! Figured I’d remind all of you of what’s waiting for you if you can get back to reality. That, and a change of scenery keeps life exciting!” Jumping in the air and clicking his heels together, Monoputa scampered over to his throne and made himself comfortable.

Everyone slowly made their way over to their assigned podiums. Sarah’s heart sank when she looked to her left and saw a framed photograph of Judgement Boy’s grinning face in sober black and white, crossed out with a blood red X. Next to his former podium was a photo of a smug Gold displayed the same way.

“Ahh, I see you noticed the new portraits,” Monoputa beamed at Sarah. “It’s so neat seeing more and more appear, isn’t it? Three down, fourteen to go!”

Sarah felt her stomach tie up into a knot, but she knew better than to indulge the sadistic Prompter.

Besides, she couldn’t let her feelings cloud her mind. She had a mystery to solve.

“You all know how this works, don'cha? Without further ado…” Monoputa pulled out his gavel and banged it on the arm of his chair. “Let the house trial commence!”

“Tch, we don’t even _need_ a trial,” Gregory Mama snorted and flicked her hair indignantly from the other side of Gold’s former podium. “It’s obviously Hell’s Chef.”

Hell’s Chef squinted at her. _“What?”_

“N-now Mama, don’t be hasty…” Gregory pleaded, desperately wanting to live.

“Quiet, Gregory!” She thwacked him on the head with her cane and continued in a dignified fashion. “It was _his_ knife used at the scene and he was the only one who wasn’t with us!” She pointed her cane at him dramatically. “This oaf blew out his own candle in order to make him seem innocent! But _I_ can see through his waxy scheme.”

“It wasn’t ME!” Hell’s Chef flailed his arms angrily. “Someone STOLE my KNIFE while my CANDLE WAS BLOWN OUT!” He slammed his fists on his podium.

“Y-your candle was blown out?” Steve queried the chef next to him nervously. A trickle of sweat rolled off his forehead. “D-does that do anything to you?”

Hell’s Chef slowly swung around to face him and gave Steve the most intense glare Sarah had ever seen. “Yes.”

Steve gulped and backed toward the other end of his podium, his knees shaking. Gunman sighed with relief, glad he wasn’t in Steve’s shoes but couldn’t help feeling sympathetic.

“He’s right, as expected,” Catherine let out a romantic sigh. Smiling euphorically to herself, she reached into her evidence bag and pulled out the book Monoputa had issued. “It says right in here that Hell’s Chef stops moving when his candle goes out.” _Think of all the things I could do using that knowledge…_

“YOU READ IT?!” Hell’s Chef bunched his hands into fists.

“I was just trying to protect you!” Catherine’s eyes filled up with tears.

“Calm down, Chef, okay?” Angel Dog peered around Cactus Girl. “Deeeep breaths in… and out…”

While Hell’s Chef did his best to control his temper, Cactus Girl moved the discussion along. “So this means it must have been someone who didn’t go to discuss the book at Sarah’s meeting, correct?”

“I doubt it!” Roulette Boy sang and recklessly hopped up and down on his stepstool. “I was listening in and I know that you guys just spent the whole time arguing! No one made any promises! Anyone could have read the book!”

Cactus Girl scowled as she realized he was right. “So whoever the culprit was must have read that book.”

“Unless the culprit was the one who that page was about,” Gregory Mama narrowed her eyes at Hell’s Chef.

“Yes… It could still be Hell’s Chef,” Mummy Papa pointed out.

“IT’S NOT ME! SOMEONE’S SETTING ME UP!” Hell’s Chef roared.

“Chef! Breathe! At least _try,”_ Angel Dog insisted.

“It’s not going to achieve anything winding him up like that,” Sarah stated while Hell’s Chef hyperventilated. “Now, I don’t know if he did it or it was someone else, but we can’t let bias and preconceived ideas mix with the truth. So can we try to give the accusations a rest now?” Sarah frowned at Gregory Mama who huffed and looked away.

“Well now that she’s gone quiet, what do we discuss first?” Clock Master looked at the others for an invitation of discussion.

“I think the state the bar was in is a good place to start,” Cactus Gunman touched a hand to his chin, noticing Sarah smiling with approval out of the corner of his eye. He couldn’t help being pleased and kept on talking. “A table and chairs were knocked over… and a table leg even snapped off. Dios mio… how did that not wake us up?”

“Maybe it’s because you did it YOURSELVES!”

“Oh, GREAT!” Hell’s Chef tore at his hair.

_Ahh, that voice…!_

Sarah looked at Angel Dog’s podium and saw a smirking Devil Dog in her place, playing with the hem of her much shorter dress.

“I know during my drinking contest with Gregory he knocked over all kinds of bottles and shit,” She giggled maliciously. “Hell, I might have even knocked over those tables myself! It’s all a blur.” She swirled her eyes for emphasis and Monoputa cackled.

“Ahh, there’s my girl! I missed you,” He leaned his cheek on his palm, affection creeping into his voice. Sarah couldn’t help shuddering.

“As much as I dislike agreeing with this one,” Clock Master looked over at Devil Dog. “She’s absolutely right. I’ve been to my fair share of bars in my day and I can say when I came to, the bar wasn’t as tidy as I remembered it!” He couldn’t help but laugh as he reminisced.

“So what you’re saying is…” Gregory caught on.

“We probably caused a lot of that damage ourselves!” Clock Master finished, grinning.

“We couldn’t have caused _all_ of that damage… right?” Steve asked, confused.

“Of course not, you dummy!” Roulette Boy sneered. “Watch it or you’ll be as bad as Gunman. And if it were all you losers, I wouldn'ta found these!” Roulette Boy delved his tiny hand into his evidence bag and pulled out a fistful of glimmering golden shards.

“Are those…parts of Gold?” Mummy Papa asked, his brows rising in the slightest bit of surprise.

“Yep! And _I_ found them!” He boasted. “That crybaby was a big fat liar about being gold to the core. All this chipped off him.”

“It’s such a shame about that…” Catherine sighed, truly upset. “But those shards do correspond with the chipped plating on Gold’s head.” She opened up the Monoputa file and displayed a photo of Gold’s head flipped over right side up. Sure enough, it was chipped in several places. Sarah regretted looking at the photo, though, Gold’s eyes were wide open and lifeless and blood poured from his parted lips.

“Roulette Boy found the shards near the bar’s door,” Clock Master smiled at Roulette Boy like he was the son he should have. “He’s smart as a whip! It shows whoever did it wasn’t strong enough to lift Gold up entirely.”

“That means it must be someone on the weaker side,” Cactus Girl deduced. “Who around here has small muscles?”

“Steve has _terribly_ scrawny arms,” Poor Conductor sighed as he looked at the boy who jumped and began biting his nails.

“Wh-what? M-me?! I’d never kill ANYONE!” Tears were in Steve’s eyes as he trembled like a leaf in hurricane winds.

“No! Shut up! It has to be someone else!” Cactus Girl insisted a little too fiercely. “He has been working out at the gym! My brother can vouch for that!” She swung her arm around to point at him.

Gunman nodded knowingly. “Catherine can vouch as well, seester. She was the one who healed him after he collapsed.” Gunman snickered to himself, remembering the chaos of the moment.

“That is true, but the muscle growth needed to lift Gold, even without the weights on him, doesn’t fit the amount of time Steve was working out,” Catherine pointed out the facts.

“It was him! HE stole my knife!” Hell’s Chef was in a fit once more, leaning over at the frightened boy from the side of his podium. He reached out a massive hand, grabbed the front of Steve’s shirt, and yanked him up right in front of his face. “YOU TOOK IT!”

Terrified beyond the point of wetting himself, Steve let out the loudest shriek anyone in the room had ever heard.

“PUT HIM DOWN, CONCHA!” Cactus Girl yelled, tugging on Steve from behind.

“Whoa, that was the loudest, girliest scream I’ve ever heard! And I hear a lot of those!” Monoputa chuckled from his podium but his laughter was nothing compared to Devil Dog’s. “You probably broke the sound barrier or something! But Butch Cassidy over there has a point. Hey, Fatty, put the shrimp down, or you’ll get an early punishment!”

Scowling at the prompter, Chef wordlessly released his grip on Steve causing him to fall back into Cactus Girl’s arms.

Cactus Girl straightened Steve out and he kept shaking like crazy. Keeping a hand on Steve’s shoulder, she glowered at Hell’s Chef.

“Que te folle un pez!” She stabbed a finger at him. Cactus Gunman gasped and shook his head rapidly at his sister, but of course she didn’t notice.

“You’re lucky I don’t know what that means…” Hell’s Chef loomed over Cactus Girl and Steve, his expression cold and terrifying. “… or else I’d-”

_“STOP!”_

Everyone whirled towards the source of the voice and saw Neko Zombie, his chest heaving and his face twisted with anger.

“I can’t take anymore of this blaming! Steve didn’t do this! He came to collect my testimony, and…” Neko Zombie swallowed, closing his stitched eyes for a moment. “… I know he’s honest. He’d never do something so horrible.”

“I agree,” Sarah spoke up. “He… he told me what was in his video. I won’t tell you what it was, but I remember him saying…”

_“I know I have to to kill someone to get back to them, but I… I can’t! I don’t want to betray everyone for myself or for my reality!”_

“…He’s innocent. There’s no blood on his hands. I think all of you are just too eager to blame someone!” Sarah earned herself a small smile from Neko Zombie for her speech.

“… you’re right. We’re being too hasty,” Gregory scratched his nose, racking his brain for more information.

“Steve’s waaaaaay too much of a wimp to try to kill anyone, too!” Roulette Boy giggled. “Did you see his FACE when Chef picked him up? I bet he peed his pants! He’d _never_ be able to blow out Chef’s candle and steal his knife!”

Steve was never so happy to be made fun of. He collapsed forward with relief, arms splayed over the top of his podium.

“Hmph… guess it wasn’t you…” Chef grumbled, his eyes drooping a bit as he looked at Steve.

_An apology would be nice…_ Steve so wanted to say.

“Hey, Cheffo, _you’re_ still not clear though~!” Devil Dog stabbed her pitchfork in his direction. “Heheheh, maybe he dragged Gold so it would seem like a wimp like Steve killed ‘em!”

“Drag…” Neko Zombie’s eyes lit up. “No, Devil Dog, you’ve got that wrong!”

“Ehhh?!” Devil Dog seemed a bit taken aback, but she quickly bounced back into her cocky attitude. “Do you know something I don’t, kitty?”

“I think it’s time I get my testimony out in the open,” Neko Zombie licked his paw and used it to smooth the unruly fur at the top of his head. “My ears may be stitched shut, but they’re still good. I heard lots of people walk by my room… lots of very drunk people, being escorted by Cactus Girl. But… I also heard someone walking down the stairs. Alone. I didn’t think much of it… until I heard them coming back and dragging something behind them. I’ve seen Chef with his knife. He slings it over his shoulder. Why would he drag it and make unnecessary noise?”

“If he read the book…” Mummy Papa offered. “… maybe he knew you had good ears? That seems like something Monoputa would mention… maybe he dragged it because he knew you would be listening.”

“… do you really think Chef would think it through like that?” Neko Zombie crossed his arms tightly, giving Mummy Papa a look. “This is an elaborate setup. When I’m hungry, sometimes I watch Chef cook, and he’s skilled with that blade. He’d make it quick and hide the murder weapon, not leave it out for everyone to see. That knife is too obvious.”

“…” Hell’s Chef blinked at Neko Zombie, and, for a brief moment, the corners of his eyes crinkled a bit.

Steve looked up at Chef, his jaw hanging in disbelief. _Did he just_ _ **smile?!**_

Meanwhile, Sarah was wrestling with her thoughts about Neko Zombie’s testimony. _Skilled with the blade…_ Sarah felt something nagging at the back of her mind, but she wasn’t sure what it was. She pulled out her previously uncracked Monoputa File and opened it up, wincing at the contents. But she had a feeling there might be a missing piece in here…

“I got it!” Sarah exclaimed, completely interrupting the argument Gregory Mama had just started with Neko Zombie.

“Did you find something, senorita?” Cactus Gunman leaned around Catherine to look at Sarah, a hopeful grin beneath his mustache.

“I sure did!” Sarah looked up from the file, raising an eyebrow at the court. “How many of you have seen Chef cook?”

Neko Zombie, Catherine, and Gregory raised their hands. Hell’s Chef shot Devil Dog an annoyed look and she groaned and raised her hand too.

“Other me did,” Devil Dog grumbled.

“Can you describe it?” Sarah asked the four of them.

“Ooh! I’ve got this one!” Catherine jumped right in with a wink. “He’s so skillful! I’ve seen him chop vegetables and slice through meat with that knife of his; he makes perfect cuts every time! I bet he could do it blindfolded!”

“Heh,” Hell’s Chef held his head high.

“She’s right,” Gregory nodded in agreement. “I’ve never seen anyone cook like he can. But what are you getting at, Sarah?”

“If he’s so good with that knife of his…” Sarah whirled around the Monoputa File to reveal a photo of the wound on Gold’s back. “… then why would he miss his mark?”

The courtroom sucked in a collective gasp and Sarah smiled in satisfaction.

“This cut is very sloppy too; much as I hate to say this, if that knife can truly cut through thick bone, it should have sliced poor Gold all the way through if the cut had strength behind it. I think whoever tried to kill Gold must have hesitated and missed… or they were hung over.” Sarah explained, putting the photo away. “But, if Neko Zombie’s testimony is true and he heard someone coming down the stairs…”

“… then the murderer must have been someone who was sleeping in the bar!” Cactus Girl finished Sarah’s thought, her eyes widening.

“O-one of us?!” Mummy Papa held his head. “Oh… this is too much to take… I think I might faint…”

“Hmm, that narrows it down to Steve, Poor Conductor, Mummy Papa, Clock Master, Cactus Gunman…” Gregory Mama ticked off her fingers, stopping to make eye contact with Sarah. “And _you,_ missy.”

“Wh-what about that vile child?” Poor Conductor pointed at Roulette Boy, who went “HUUUUH?” in response. “He could have been spying on us! He probably thought everyone stumbling around would be funny!”

“Don’t blame him!” Clock Master barked. “He’s just a child! A child would never try to kill anyone!”

“Um, hell- _o?_ Remember James, old man?” Devil Dog made the cuckoo sign.

“That one went bad because he was raised poorly,” Gregory Mama snorted. “This child is clearly no different.”

Gregory fumed to himself, balling his wrinkled hands into fists. “He was raised _very_ well, you old hag.” He muttered under his breath.

“Don’t say that about James!” Roulette Boy whined. “He was cooler than _all_ you dummies! And I can’t even carry that thing!”

“He’s right…” Neko Zombie made sure everyone could rule him out. “With arms like those, he couldn’t lift the knife off the ground enough to kill Gold. All of you are really grasping at straws here.”

“See?” Roulette Boy pointed fiercely at Neko Zombie as he glared at Poor Conductor. “The kitty’s right!”

“Yeah, we proved you’re a tiny, annoying wimp,” Devil Dog snickered.

“Oooh!” Monoputa licked his finger and made a sizzling sound as he touched the robes over his bum.

“Hmph!” Roulette Boy stomped his foot, crossed his arms and looked away.

“If it wasn’t him… then who was it?” Steve asked nervously.

Cactus Girl surveyed everyone with her sharp eyes. “Does anyone have a _shred_ of evidence that might help?”

“Well now that you mention it,” Catherine reached into her evidence bag and pulled out two corked vials of blood. “There were two different types of blood at the scene. One was Judgement Boy Gold’s and the other… was the culprit’s.”

“How can you tell the difference between them?” Steve asked curiously.

“Gold’s blood is muuuuch oilier senor,” Gunman filled him in, proud of his knowledge. “It is very different from anyone elses.”

Catherine nodded in agreement at her neighbour. “That’s right. Here’s the vials if you’re curious.”

Catherine tossed the vials over to Steve, her aim accurate and her arm steady from years of being a nurse. Steve fumbled with the vials, only just managing to prevent them from clanging to the ground. he held up the two next to each other and studied them.

“How do they look?” Mummy Papa asked from across the room.

Steve narrowed his eyes and held them to the light. “Yeah, they do look really different,” he replied taking note of the consistency and colour.

“I’m surprised you aren’t freaking out,” Roulette Boy smiled innocently. “You _are_ holding the blood of a dead guy and a killer, haha!”

Sarah saw Steve’s body language depict he was beginning to panic. The vials shook and began to clang together. Cactus Girl quickly took them from his grasp and tossed them back to Catherine’s capable hands.

“I guess this means there was a big struggle in the hall too, huh?” Gunman remarked. “We saw blood splodges along the hallway as well, didn’t we senorita?”

“There were splodges there but…” _Something’s bothering me… I need to figure out what it is…_ Sarah reviewed the evidence in her mind and soon found the gold at the end of the rainbow. “YOU’VE GOT THAT WRONG!”


	14. Case 2's Execution

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Here we are, folks! The exciting conclusion of the trial!_   
>  _Artists this round are pinapapo, tv-fish-sticks, and shortlifelongart! We’re really proud of this chapter and the art absolutely COMPLETES it, so I hope you guys love it as much as we do!_   
>  _Alright, here we go!_

“S-senorita! You don’t have to yell!” Gunman looked visibly startled and Sarah apologized.

“I had to make sure everyone heard me. I just remembered something important. Something Death told me when he was collecting Gold’s soul…” Sarah raised her head and tapped her chin.

“Death TOLD you something?!” Monoputa squeaked from his throne. “He’s not supposed to do that! Gah, I’ll have to give him a punishment later!”

“You can’t punish him,” Hell’s Chef fixed his gaze on Monoputa. “He’s _Death.”_

“Hmph, I _know._ Don’t remind me…” Monoputa slid down in his chair, folding his arms and pouting like a child denied dessert.

“Anyway,” Sarah shot a glare at Monoputa before continuing. “When Death took Gold’s soul, he said it had a lot to say. I can’t believe I didn’t remember until now, but one of those things was that Gold _doesn’t know who killed him!”_

“Whaaaaat?!” Clock Master jumped in surprise. “But… all that struggle evidence…”

“There _wasn’t_ a struggle. Gold was passed out cold and dragged into the hallway, albeit clumsily. I hate to say it, but we’ve all seen what a blow from a Judgement Boy’s fist can do.”

Gregory let out a sad sigh.

“If anyone got hurt because of Gold, we’d be able to tell. They’d be limping, or heavily bruised, or… worse. If Death’s testimony is anything to go by, Gold wasn’t even aware someone was trying to kill him until it was too late.” Sarah explained.

Everyone was silent for a few moments… until Gregory Mama started to chuckle.

“You just pulled that right out of your ass, didn’t you?” She pointed her cane at Sarah and she bristled with astonishment.

“Mama, no! This is import-” Gregory was interrupted by his mother clamping his jaws shut with her free hand.

“Th-there’s no need to be rude, senorita! Sarah would never lie about something like this!” Gunman chastised Gregory Mama, who just chuckled again.

“There’s absolutely _no way_ Death told you something like that! You’re lying right to our faces! You’re the murderer, aren’t you?!” Gregory Mama looked down her nose at Sarah.

“I-I’m not! This is a key piece of evidence that can’t be ignored!” Sarah couldn’t believe someone was opposing her. She wanted this case _solved!_

“Well then…” Gregory Mama let go of Gregory’s jaw and primly steepled her fingers under her chin, giving Sarah a chilling smile. “…do you have any proof?”

“Sarah doesn’t need proof!” Cactus Gunman considered himself above snapping at a lady, but Gregory Mama was hardly acting ladylike. “She has been working hard to find the truth this whole trial, and we never would have figured out who killed James without her help! There is no way she would tell a lie!”

“Hmph, and you think that would change my mind? You’re Sarah’s pet dog, after all. Your words mean nothing to me,” The fact that Gregory Mama said this with a broad, honest-looking smile and a warm tone made everyone nervous.

“That’s _very_ offensive to my people, hag!” Devil Dog stabbed her pitchfork at Gregory Mama, a sneer on her face.

Cactus Gunman turned red as a beet and went silent. Sarah felt anger bubbling up inside her. She couldn’t believe this. She _had_ to prove herself right; everyone’s lives were on the line!

“There’s only one thing to do…” Sarah whirled towards Monoputa and her voice rose up, loud and commanding. “Monoputa! Get Death in here right now! I know you can call him!”

“Sarah, Sarah, Sarah…” Monoputa sighed and shook his head. “Didn’t I tell you I was mad he even told you that?”

“You can scold him after he’s done proving me right! He’s as much of a part of this game as we are, even if his role is different! He should be able to testify!” Sarah was all too willing to defend her argument, even against Monoputa.

“Hey, did someone say Death?” A boisterous voice boomed over the soft sound of a bell ringing.

Sarah turned, beaming, to the source of the voice to see Death floating there, scythe in hand.

Monoputa wasn’t nearly as delighted.

“What are you doing here, traitor?” Monoputa looked up at Death, a shadow falling across his miffed face.

“I’m not a traitor, Monoputa, I always considered myself more of a freelance agent,” Death twirled his scythe around. “I keep the souls safe. Dat’s it.”

Monoputa was turning red now.

“Don’t you get mad, ya can’t do anything about it, after all!” Death laughed as Monoputa’s face darkened to a shade of purple. “Sarah was in a reaaaaaaaal bad place! I hadta tell her that Gold was rootin’ for her to solve his mystery, and he _still_ hasn’t shut up about it!”

“Do you have Gold’s soul?” Catherine asked, her eyes shimmering with inspiration. “Can _he_ testify?”

Death opened his mouth but Monoputa interrupted him.

“No, once you bite it, you’re out of the game, even if your soul is floating around!” Monoputa smirked at Catherine. “You’re out of luck there.”

“We don’t need Gold to testify anyway; we’re on the fast track to solving his murder,” Sarah gave Death a confident grin. “Death, I need you to tell everyone that I wasn’t lying. You told me that Judgement Boy Gold doesn’t know who murdered him, remember?”

“I do and I did!” Death nodded at the courtroom confidently. “Hopefully if ya figure it out he’ll stop yammering about dat.”

“There’s all the proof you need, Gregory Mama,” Sarah planted her hands on her hips and leaned forward, a smirk on her lips. “From the mouth of Death himself.”

“… hmph!” Gregory Mama hated being proved wrong, but she knew arguing further was futile.

“Guess I’ll get goin’; I’ve done my job. Me and the other dead guys are takin’ bets on the trial. I don’t wanna miss their reactions.” Death pointed over his shoulder. “Good luck to all of ya!” With a big wave, Death phased out of the trial room.

“What did I tell you, Gregory Mama?” Cactus Gunman pushed up his sombrero to reveal a cocky smirk.

Gregory Mama hmmphed again, finally silenced. Gregory silently thanked whatever deity was listening for his mother’s pacification.

“… but… this raises more questions…” Mummy Papa folded his arms, sticking his tongue out as he racked his brain. “Who… opened the window in the kitchen?”

“The culprit, dummy! Hellooo?” Roulette Boy was obviously getting bored with the trial. He was hugging his head and leaning it against the railing of his podium. “It’s how they got that fatty Hell’s Chef’s stupid knife.”

Hell’s Chef squinted at the floor and balled his fists trying to suppress his rage at multiple subjects. “I was only gone for a second to get an ingredient from my room.”

“It seems that time was all it took…” Neko Zombie mewed. “You had to leave the kitchen at some point, and when you did, the culprit opened the window. After the wind blew out your flame, they took your knife and left.”

Everyone nodded, this time seeming satisfied with this answer. Neko Zombie licked a paw and drew it over his ear, glad for the temporary peace.

“Just what was this _ingredient_ you left to get?” Catherine leaned forward and placed her hands on the podium, resting her chin on top.

Hell’s Chef tightened his collar and glared at her. “A chef never reveals his secret recipes.”

“Well, I don’t think it is relevant anyway,” Cactus Girl flicked her ponytails.

“Well, if you don’t mind me interrupting, my friends, there’s something else that’s been bothering me…” Gregory spoke up. “Why even kill Gold in the first place? Whose motive was so horrible that they felt the need to kill another to get back to their own reality?”

“Lots of people had really strong reactions to those videos…” Steve pushed his pointer fingers together, his face pale. “I know I wasn’t at the back of the line, but I still saw how lots of people reacted…”

“Si, it was… troubling, to say the least. So many people left in tears or even screaming,” Cactus Girl cast Neko Zombie a very subtle glance.

“Clock Master seemed awfully happy about having a son to go back to…” Catherine cast him a suspicious look.

“Oh MAN! Did you set up the party so everyone would be drunk and you could murder Gold without any trouble?!” Devil Dog was genuinely impressed. “Yowza! And here I thought you were an idiot!”

“No. NO!” Clock Master’s voice cracked as his cheeks burned with fury. “How _dare_ you accuse me of such a thing?! What kind of father would I be if manipulated everyone for my own selfish desire for home? No, I made a promise to myself!” Tears were forming in the corners of Clock Master’s eyes now, and he blinked them back, doing his best to regain his composure. “I’m going to get out of here without so much as laying a finger on anyone else! I wouldn’t be able to look my son in the eye… I don’t want him to be raised by a murderer!”

“Yeah, being raised by a drunkard is _waaaay_ better!” Devil Dog teased.

“I’m _working on it!”_ Clock Master roared. “Sorry that I have more important things to worry about than my drinking problem!”

Sarah was more than a bit shocked. She had no idea Clock Master would get _this_ impassioned about his son… but she figured that was a sign of a good father.

“That’s so admirable, senor!” Cactus Gunman was obviously impressed.

“More like sappy and disgusting, bleh!” Devil Dog spat. “Fathers are overrated.”

“I threw that party because I wanted everyone to be happy and _not_ think about murder, but obviously one of you twisted cretins was plotting something!” Clock Master’s gaze swept over the courtroom like a prison spotlight, lingering extra long on the people who slept in the bar. “Which one of you could possibly have a motive so sick…?”

_“WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIT!”_

The courtroom went silent as three spotlights went on Poor Conductor’s podium.

“Oh, _terrific,_ we get to listen to _him,”_ Gregory Mama let out the longest sigh in history.

“All the pieces have fallen in place and created a beautiful melody of truth!” Poor Conductor was excited with his discovery, his hands over his heart and his eyes sparkling. “I _know who did it!”_

The entire courtroom gasped again, staring at Poor Conductor with disbelief.

“Y-you _do?”_ Steve queried, his eyebrows rising up into his hairline with surprise.

“A certain someone told me a certain something… and I saw, out of the corner of my eye, them dumping their drink into a potted plant!” Poor Conductor threw his head back dramatically. “I was shocked! And upon my questioning, they said they had a stomachache and didn’t want to seem rude when they refused the drink. But, considering what they told me, I have no doubt that they have a reason to go back to reality! I am as sure of this as I am that my latest composition is a masterpiece!”

Gregory Mama flicked a lock of hair over her shoulder and snorted. “You thoughts mustn’t be very valuable then.”

“Ohhh!” The spotlights over Poor Conductor clicked off as he whined and hung his head. “Why… would you _say_ that? I _do_ have valuable information!”

“Stop beating around the bush and tell us, Ruffles!” Devil Dog tapped her pitchfork on her podium impatiently. “I wanna see someone get wrecked!”

Monoputa let out a long, romantic sigh as he nodded in agreement with her.

“Fine, but you don’t have to be so _rude!”_ Poor Conductor snapped his fingers and the spotlights turned back on, even brighter this time. “Our culprit _also_ has a son! A son that he would do _anything_ for! He told me himself, with tears in his eyes!”

“Who… who is it? Who killed Gold?!” Catherine was eager to give them a verbal thrashing.

“Who _stole my knife_ and tried to _FRAME_ me?!” Hell’s Chef jumped in, slamming a fist into his palm.

“None other than our very own…” Poor Conductor whirled to the right and pointed at his neighbor.

“MUMMY PAPA!”

The spotlights went onto Mummy Papa and he spluttered a bit before paling and falling to the ground in a heap.

“Get up, you faker!” Devil Dog jammed her pitchfork forward, snarling.

“YOU TOOK MY KNIFE!? YOU TRIED TO BLAME ME FOR THIS?! I’LL _KILL_ -” Hell’s Chef was interrupted by Devil Dog turning back into Angel Dog and covering his mouth with both arms. That didn’t stop Chef from ranting, though, and he continued his muffled, inaudible rage.

“Come on, my friend…” Poor Conductor crouched down and gave Mummy Papa a shoulder to support himself with. “Say your piece. Let the crowd hear it.”

“I…” Mummy Papa gently pushed Poor Conductor away and used his podium to support himself, leaning forward as he tried to regain his bearings. Blood dripped from his head slowly and left little red beads on his railing.

“Hold on! Why would you accuse him?” Cactus Girl slammed her fist down on her podium. “Mummy Papa is a good person! He doesn’t have the evil intent!”

Poor Conductor seemed taken aback by her harshness. “I… but, he didn’t have a drink… And he has a motive!”

“That doesn’t mean he did it! He said he had a stomachache!” Cactus Girl pointed to Mummy Papa. “Have you seen how he acts at all? If he even had the brains to set up this plan, he couldn’t have carried it out! There’s no proof he was involved!”

“No, that’s wrong!” Sarah interrupted Cactus Girl’s defense. “There is proof! I see it now… And I don’t like to accuse him… but him as the culprit is the only way it fits!”

“How so, senorita? I… I too see Mummy Papa as a good man,” Cactus Gunman admitted.

“It is thanks to you and Catherine that I know this,” Sarah began to explain. “You pointed out the splatters of blood along the hall and the two types of blood near the body. We thought there was a struggle and that’s why it was there. But that’s dead wrong; it’s because of the blood on Mummy Papa’s head!”

Everyone let out a huge gasp as the pieces fell into place. Tears pricked at the corner of Mummy Papa’s eyes and he began to sniffle.

“I think because Gold is so heavy, when he was dragging him out of the bar, he was using very jerky motions and this made some of the blood on his head fly off. He probably didn’t notice because he was so engrossed in doing the job.” As Sarah continued to unravel Mummy Papa’s plan, he burst into tears. Sarah’s heart began to break, but she kept going.

“When he dragged him out far enough so that he wouldn’t be seen, Mummy Papa used Hell’s Chef’s knife and tried to attack. But Mummy Papa isn’t very strong. We saw when he was running on the treadmill that he is better at endurance exercises rather than strength. That was why he missed the first time. This probably woke Gold up which is why his soul knew he had been attacked, but didn’t know who: because he was face down. When Mummy Papa beheaded him, he probably fainted from the stress which is why so much of his blood is at the scene. Since we were all intoxicated, after he had woken up, he would have had plenty of time to clean himself up and pretend he was just as badly affected as the rest of us… It’s the only way this murder makes sense.” Sarah nodded, her eyes closed in grief. She was confident she had it right, but… she felt awful. She knew in her heart that it was Mummy Papa or everyone else, but that didn’t make her feel much better about seeing another person die.

Hell’s Chef thrashed around even more, but completely ceased when Angel Dog whispered something in his ear. Hell’s Chef smirked beneath his collar and began to wait.

“I… oh… you’re completely right… I don’t want to lie anymore!” Mummy Papa grabbed his head, his tears falling freely now. “What TV Fish showed me was _horrible._ My son… he didn’t look like… me. He looked more like you.” Mummy Papa pointed to Steve, who jumped a little. “A… a human. My wife too. They were back in reality, crying, wondering where I was… Even if they didn’t look like I do, I knew that was my family as soon as I saw them… My heart broke!” He looked at the crowd with desperate eyes, begging them to understand. “They’re very sickly and they don’t have anyone to provide for them. They’re alone and… I… I couldn’t let this go. As soon as Clock Master told me about the party, I knew it was my chance. I thought this was fate… somehow working so I could go back to my son. As soon as I got the invite, I read the book. Hell’s Chef… with his temper and his sharp knife… he’d be the perfect person to blame. So I staked out the kitchen when it was empty and found a means to keep him from intervening.”

Angel Dog tightened her grip on Hell’s Chef’s shoulders, but Hell’s Chef kept his anger bottled up. Frankly, he was just glad he wouldn’t be dying today.

“I didn’t drink at the party because I didn’t want my head to be any worse while I carried this out. I pretended to be drunk and I pretended to pass out. I feigned sleep on the floor until everyone around me left or dozed off…” Mummy Papa couldn’t look anyone in the eye. “I crept down to the kitchen and waited around a corner, hoping Chef would leave. And when he did… I thought this was fate, too. I was so sure I was meant to return to my family… I went in the kitchen as fast as I could, opened the window, and hid behind the fridge. It was nerve wracking and I was sure it was bad for my health… but so was staying here knowing what was happening to my wife and my son. When Hell’s Chef came back, knife in hand, he instantly cursed the open window and as he went to shut it, it blew out his flame.

My confidence was… higher than ever. I wasn’t used to that feeling… so I came out from behind the fridge and pried the knife from his hand without fear. It was… much heavier than I thought, but I managed to drag it up the stairs with me. I leaned it against the wall and went to get my target; Judgement Boy Gold.”

“Sorry to interrupt, but…” Catherine had tears in her eyes. “Why kill Gold? Why…?”

“I saw… how he looked at Judgement Boy… he might have been strict with him, but there was a fatherly glint in his eyes. I didn’t know I had a son back then, but something about that… made me happy… but when Judgement Boy died and Gold broke down… his attitude changed for the worse. When I looked at him, I saw a man with nothing left to lose. I thought… of what would happen if I lost my family, or they were killed… as horribly as Judgement Boy was…” Mummy Papa had to pause to let out a couple of choking sobs. “I’d lose all will to live. When I overheard him saying he’d stop at nothing to survive, it sealed the deal… I thought Gold would murder someone to get out and put this all behind him… and if he got caught, he wouldn’t care, because he already lost the person who meant the most to him…”

Catherine was openly sobbing now. Gunman tapped her on the shoulder and opened up his arms. Catherine flew into them, crying onto his shoulder profusely. Gunman shot Sarah a guilty look and she gave him a feeble smile of approval.

“I thought… I could be guiltless if I killed him, since… I had something to go home to, and he… didn’t _…_ ” Mummy Papa choked a bit. “… but I wasn’t guiltless. I hesitated. I got woozy when I was about to land the first blow… and hit his back. Gold cried out, but luckily, since he had just woken up, it wasn’t too loud… but it was enough to make me panic. I brought down the knife as hard as I could and… it was off. It was done. I’d killed him.” Mummy Papa seemed like he was getting dizzy. “It was… too much to take. I fainted. But, luckily, not for long. I managed to clean up in the restroom and change my bandages before I returned to the bar. I fell asleep on the floor, right where I was before. It was easy… to act lethargic and uninterested. I’m good at ignoring pain… well, most pain…” Mummy Papa wore a small, sad grin, tears flooding down his face. “… hopefully… that will make my execution… less horrible.”

“Not sure about that, buddy,” Monoputa giggled. “This one’s one of my favorites~”

“Monoputa… please… start the vote-”

“Yaaaay! Finally!” Roulette Boy fistpumped.

“This kid gets it! I like you,” Monoputa gave him a thumbs up.

Mummy Papa sighed remorsefully and gave the courtroom a gentle, tearful smile. “I’m sorry… for what I did, but… I did it for my family. I’ll die knowing I fought for them until my last moment… I’ll die knowing… it was all for them… I just hope they can forgive me… for never coming back when they needed me most…”

Everyone in the courtroom was silent and solemn, except for Monoputa, who cackled and began the vote.

The panel on each podium flipped open and everyone pressed their finger onto the image of Mummy Papa, Hell’s Chef pushing hard enough to crack the button’s plastic.

The TV screen lowered and the image of the slot machine appeared, rolling and rolling until it stopped on three pictures on Mummy Papa. Applause and thunderous trumpet music came from the screen as the word “GUILTY!” flashed in neon colors.

Mummy Papa closed his eyes and braced himself as he waited for the metal collar to close around his neck.

“Ohhh, this is gonna be _good…”_ Monoputa smirked as he slammed his gavel on the big red button.

**MUMMY PAPA HAS BEEN FOUND GUILTY. COMMENCING EXECUTION.**

Two chains of a sinisterly familiar design extended from the wall. One clasped firmly around Mummy Papa’s neck, as he predicted, and the other around the hilt of the sabre embedded in his thick skull. With tremendous force, Mummy Papa was yanked out of the courtroom to the horror of everyone but Roulette Boy and Hell’s Chef. Mummy Papa tugged and pulled at the collar around his neck, trying to put the grating feeling of the sabre in his head to the side. When he finally reached his destination after what felt like a shameful, pain-filled eternity, he was forcefully thrust into a hard, wooden chair which refused to budge from the floor. It all happened so quickly: Mummy Papa was forced into a sitting position, the chains around his sabre and neck let go, the dislodged sabre came flying off with humungous force, ropes fastened around Mummy Papa’s chest, tying him to the chair. Hardly feeling the sabre’s removal, Mummy Papa only just had enough time to look around and see the padded room along with the table of torture implements beside him before Monoputa caught the sabre’s hilt in midair.

Everyone in the courtroom suddenly found themselves outside the execution room, staring at the horror within through a window. All of them waited in nervous anticipation for the horrible death of Mummy Papa.

The maniacal prompter retrieved his stepladder, and briefly, tauntingly, waved it in front of the culprit’s face. Within moments, Mummy Papa heard the tap-tap-tapping of Monoputa’s feet on the steps and a bead of sweat rolled down his face. Monoputa reinserted the sabre into Mummy Papa’s skull and, with his two tiny, powerful hands, pushed downwards with all his might. The sabre slowly riiiiiipped down Mummy Papa’s head, stopping just above his mouth. Smugly, Monoputa walked around the front of the chair and grinned up at his victim. His jaw dropped when he realised Mummy Papa was in fact still alive!

“Is that all you got?” Mummy Papa teased, unfazed despite his split brain. “I’ve had worse headaches than this.”

Stamping his foot, Monoputa stormed over to the torture table and grabbed a bottle of potent poison. The once slow tap-tap-tapping was faster in tempo and Monoputa was at the top of the stepladder in a matter of seconds. Grinning wildly, Monoputa forcefully pulled the sabre out of Mummy Papa’s head and poured the evil substance down his gaping throat. Down it flowed, like a waterfall of acid, and Monoputa emptied it to the last drop. He cackled wildly, his hands on his stomach.

“Do you have any more?” Mummy Papa piped up, licking his bloody lips.

Monoputa stopped, in shock. “What?”  
“Do you have any more?” He repeated.

Monoputa let out a scream of rage and frustration. The sabre glimmering in the dim light, he cut open Mummy Papa’s ropes and began to stab him all over his body, each puncture resulting in a revolting squelching sound. Blood oozed out of the gashes, trickling all over Mummy Papa.

“You’ll have to… do better than that, Monoputa,” Mummy Papa chided with a weak, broken, but still victorious smile.

“THAT’S IT, SMARTASS!,” Monoputa jumped off the stepladder.

Pushed to breaking point, Monoputa sprinted past the torture table, grabbing a bomb as he ran. He raced to the other side of the room as fast as his teeny legs would take him, lit the bomb and watched the flame spark to life.

“SURVIVE THIS, SABREBOY!” Monoputa screeched, tossing the bomb with amazing accuracy.

It plopped into Mummy Papa’s lap and he looked at it helplessly. “Oh my…”

_**BOOM!** _

_** ** _

Pieces of Mummy Papa splattered the walls and floor, coating them in red and the blood trickled down like raindrops on a window. The force caused a good portion of Mummy Papa’s stomach to hit the now cracked viewing window and it slowly slid down, leaving behind a long, vile stain.

Monoputa wiped a piece of Mummy Papa’s kidney off his hat, leaving a red smudge. He turned to the horrified crowd and let out a relieved sigh.

“I always win in the end,” He grinned maniacally and held up two fingers in victory.

It was at that moment that everyone in the room was fully reminded of Monoputa’s power and his unquenchable thirst for despair, chaos and mayhem. Gunman was quaking to himself, Cactus Girl glowered at Monoputa with sheer hatred next to Steve who had fainted face down on the floor. Poor Conductor hugged himself, a guilty look on his tear-streaked face. Even Gregory seemed shocked; eyes bulging and his hand over his mouth. Gregory Mama was dumbstruck, her brain still trying to process what had just happened.

Neko Zombie mrrowed bleakly and Sarah blinked back tears. _Mummy Papa… He’s really…_

“Finally…” Hell’s Chef grumbled, earning himself a smack on the head from a tearful Angel Dog.

“All he wanted was to see his family,” Sarah muttered. “He didn’t deserve this.”

“Yeah he did!” Monoputa came striding out of the execution room, still covered in blood and bits of Mummy Papa. “He killed someone! Even if you have a reason behind it, killing someone _always_ gets you executed! Whether it was an accident, on purpose, or on impulse, the murderer will get a punishment without fail~!” Giggling, Monoputa gave Sarah a side glance. “Unless, of course, you can’t figure it out. Then they get to go home! Too bad Mummy Papa will never, ever see his family again!”

“STOP GLOATING!” Clock Master shouted at Monoputa, fists clenched. “I can’t believe this happened…! I could have prevented it! I should have asked Mummy Papa if he was all right… as a father like he was, I could have told him what I was doing to safely return home to my son! I… if I had, we wouldn’t have lost Judgement Boy Gold and Mummy Papa… Mummy Papa would have been able to go home with the rest of us…” Clock Master was getting choked up, but he kept his tears back.

“I don’t know why you guys think you’re all gonna go home together,” Monoputa sighed and absent-mindedly flicked one of Mummy Papa’s eyeballs off of his shoulder.

“BE QUIET!” Clock Master steeled himself from rushing forward and kicking Monoputa into the wall.

“Hmph!” Monoputa sniffled, wiping his eyes. “So rude…”

“Clock Master, please calm down!” Angel Dog pleaded, her hands folded under her chin. “I hate to say it, but… what’s done is done. This shouldn’t change your attitude. Keep working hard to survive and get home to your son and… I know you will. None of us have a drive quite like yours.”

Clock Master took a few deep breaths and calmed himself, but his heart still felt heavy as lead. “Thank you, Angel Dog…”

Sarah couldn’t help marvelling at Angel Dog’s skill. Even if she had an evil personality lurking within her, Angel Dog was honest, bright, and never failed to soothe people, no matter how horrible they felt.

“How _touching_ …” Monoputa mocked. “But that doesn’t change the fact that _right now_ you guys are in some serious trouble and you ain’t getting out on my watch! Ahahaha!” He pointed a tiny finger at the elevator, still grinning madly. “Now _I_ have some gold plating to reuse! So get up there and let’s see some more despair and drama! Andele!”

_He may be right,_ Sarah thought as she shuffled to the elevator. She watched the others follow her example and Cactus Girl picked up Steve, carrying him with her on the tiny journey. _Right now, our troubles aren’t over and Monoputa won’t let us out so easily. But I know we can overcome him!_ Everyone filed into the elevator, openly aware they were short one kindhearted soul. _We just need to find a way…_

“Everyone,” Poor Conductor began, ashamed. All eyes turned his way and he needed no spotlight. He already had everyone’s miserable attention. “It was because of my knowledge that such a man has passed.” He bowed, his head hung low. “I would like to formally apologize for-”

“Are you crazy?!” Gregory looked at him like he was just that. “You saved _everyone here!_ All of us! You shouldn’t be _sorry!”_

Poor Conductor blushed and a few tears went down his cheeks. “Is this what it’s like… to be respected?”

His sobs emanated throughout the elevator as it continued its ascent. No one wanted to tell Poor Conductor to stop. Not even Gregory Mama. He was echoing all their heart’s woes for them.

_**13 PEOPLE STILL ALIVE** _


	15. Poor Conductor's Performance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Sorry for the wait, guys!_   
>  _Once you guys see how LONG this chapter is, hopefully you’ll understand. Ven and I really made up for lost time._   
>  _I’d like for you guys to give a warm welcome to Lizzy, who is going to be co-illustrator with Lizzie for GDS from here on out! Artwork by both of them appear in this chapter and they’re AMAZING. I hope you like them!_   
>  _This is a big chapter, but please, do your best to stick with it. I hope you find it enjoyable <3 Send feedback if you can! It’s always appreciated._

_I need a snack,_ the commanding thought pierced Sarah’s mind like a knife. She didn’t know why. But some unknown force was driving her, pushing her. She needed to get to the fridge.

She took her first step onto the cold tiles of the kitchen. It was the dead of night. No one stirred. Slowly, she strode to the other end of the room. Bright, encouraging light seeped through the cracks of the fridge. _My goal! I must get there no matter-_

“Hahahaha…” The menacing, familiar laugh echoed throughout the kitchen “Sarah~ I know where you aaare~” It sang.

Sarah twisted around on the spot, looking in each direction. The voice had no source; it came from everywhere all at once. Chills ran down her spine. She pushed the voice out of her head and pressed on. _The fridge. The fridge._ _Five more steps. Five more._

“Sarah. Where do you think you’re going?” The voice was closer and demanding.

Each step became a mile and her legs felt like they were pulled down by weights. She struggled on and on, hardly reaching her destination. It was as though time was slowing down. Each breath took an age, each blink, longer.

“Are you going to leave without me, Sarah?” The door creeeaked open behind her. A once comforting clinking sound followed before the door slammed shut. “I can’t let you do that…”

The clinking continued and got louder and louder and Sarah tried to run faster and faster but each step was still a mile. She slowly peered over her shoulder and spotted her pursuer in the distance. Judgement Boy; with his oily blood seeping out the holes left in his disfigured body.

“How could you let me die, Sarah?” Judgement Boy raced towards her at an incredible speed.

Her pulse racing like crazy, Sarah pushed extra strength into her steps. _Run! Get away!_ But her pace was nothing compared to his. He sped like a racehorse while she chugged along like a broken car.

“Sarah~ I thought we were…” He reached her and shoved his repulsive, terrifying face in front of hers. “CLOSE!”

She opened her mouth and wailed her loudest, but no sound escaped. She was alone with this monster in an endless void. He laughed his deep, menacing laugh at her pain.

“I’m going to leave this place, Sarah,” Judgement Boy grinned widely.

He shoved her to the floor and placed his round hands on her windpipe, slowly compressing it. Her breath got smaller and smaller and she gasped for air. Small wounds began to break open on her neck and out flowed a river of crimson blood. Sarah clung to life by a thread, soaked in her cold juices and opened her eyes a crack at her killer’s face. _I thought… we were friends…_

“I’m going to leave, Sarah. Without _you!”_

 

_GHS_

 

Sarah’s eyes jolted open, her chest heaving and her face cold with dripping sweat.

_A dream…_ Sarah sucked in a deep breath as she moved her sweaty bangs away from her forehead. _Just a dream… but…_

Shuddering, she shoved her blanket off, in hopes that the cool air would dry her sweat. _What was that all about…?_ She stumbled to her mirror to assess the damage.

Her hair was dripping wet and clinging to her cheeks and shoulders, apart from one stubborn piece on the center of her head that never seemed to settle down unless Sarah pulled her hair back completely. Sarah’s face was pale and she leaned forward to examine her neck, letting out a long sigh of relief when she saw there were no marks.

_In a creepy place like this…_ Sarah swallowed, massaging her neck. _Anything can happen._

Sarah meandered to her small window and opened one side of it, seeing the usual overcast conditions of the daytime.

_Judgement Boy…_ Sarah thought as she gazed out the window. _I know you’d never do anything so horrible. You would have never killed anyone on purpose._ Sarah wiped a tear. _I hope you don’t really blame me for what happened to you…_

Sarah figured it was no use dwelling on that awful nightmare. She was sure everyone wasn’t feeling their best after Mummy Papa’s execution the previous day.

_I’d better check on them…_ Sarah squinted at her greasy, sweaty reflection in the mirror and sighed softly. _After a bath._

Sarah quickly changed into her usual clothes and headed to the bath, her awful dream sticking to the back of her mind.

_Maybe I’ll feel better if I tell someone about it…_ she pondered. _I think I know just the girl._ She tried her best to think positive thoughts as she opened the door to the bath house and peered inside. The person she was expecting was right inside getting undressed.

“Oh! Sarah! It’s a pleasure to see you,” Angel Dog smiled sweetly. “Do you need a bath too?”

Sarah nodded, the haunted, negative feeling seeping back in. “Yeah, thank goodness this bath is here.”

“I know, right?” Angel Dog giggled, wrapping a towel around herself. “I’ll see you inside!”

Angel Dog fluttered through the door leave Sarah on her lonesome. _I should tell her once we’re inside. She’s probably the only person who will console me effectively._

Once undressed, with a towel around her body, she entered the steam filled bath house to see Angel Dog already in the bath.

“Hey there, Sarah! The water’s great!” She gestured for Sarah to enter.

Sarah smiled. “I’ll be in as soon as I can!”

She started to wash herself at the basin and as soon as silence took hold, she nonchalantly began to discuss what she was here for.

“Angel Dog… can I… Talk to you about something?”

Sensing the serious tone, Angel Dog sat up and looked over at her. “What is it?”

“I… I had this nightmare,” she began. “I was murdered. By Judgement Boy. I know he would never do something like that on purpose but… do you think he blames me? Do you think he thinks I let him die? The dream… it seemed like revenge.”

“Oh, Sarah…” Angel Dog got out of the water, wrapped herself in her towel and fluttered over. She put a consoling hand on her back. “Of course Judgement Boy doesn’t blame you. It was just the stress of the dream. You and Judgement Boy were good friends. You’re the one he’s _least_ likely to blame. If anything, I’m sure Judgement Boy would want you to live more than anyone else in this whoooole hotel!”

Sarah’s muscles relaxed and she looked at her consoler, her heart warming. _I made a good choice telling her._ “You think so?”

“Well, I can’t say I know for sure; only Death knows that,” she tapped her chin in thought. “But I’m ninety nine percent sure!”

Sarah smiled to herself. _She’s right. It was just a dream. Judgement Boy and I were really close; there’s no way he’d want to see me die. I have to live. I’m sure he’d want me to._

“Now come on, it’s time to get clean!” Angel Dog smiled and headed back to the bath.

Sarah let her heart glow a little more before following.

“Wanna hear something interesting?” Angel Dog asked as she sank lower into the water. Without waiting for Sarah to respond, she continued: “Hell’s Chef had a nightmare last night too.”

“Him?” Sarah’s eyebrows flew up to her hairline.

“I guess the trial shook him up more than he’d like to admit…” Angel Dog shrugged, a sad look on her face. “He told me he dreamed he was executed. Horribly. He wouldn’t go any further than that.”

“That’s-wait, you aren’t going to go around telling everyone about _my_ nightmare, are you?” Sarah folded her arms, squinting at Angel Dog.

“Oh, no! I’m sorry… I just thought telling you this would help you realize… Hell’s Chef is a person, just like the rest of us. I’m sick of everyone treating him like he’s some kind of monster. Just because he has a big knife doesn’t mean he’s going to use it, y'know?” Angel Dog pouted at Sarah and she felt her heart twist.

“…you’re right. After he got blamed for what happened to Gold, he must really be feeling awful…” Sarah made a mental note to check on Hell’s Chef later.

The two girls finished their bath in relative silence, neither one of them wanting to talk about the previous night’s trial or the prospect of more deaths. Once Sarah was all dressed, she bid Angel Dog goodbye and wandered down the stairs.

_I wonder how Neko Zombie is doing…_ Sarah thought, biting her lip. _I can’t imagine the trial helped his gloomy outlook._

She glanced around the deserted hallway before proceeding to her neighbour’s room. _The trial must have shaken up everyone more than I thought… Hardly anyone is out and about right now._ _It’s safe to say the same for Neko Zombie._ Sarah approached the feline’s cold, uninviting door and raised her hand to knock, but paused. She could hear voices inside, quiet and murmuring.

“You can come in, Sarah,” Neko Zombie raised his voice to be heard while the other voice let out a gasp of surprise.

Sheepishly, Sarah opened the door to Steve and Neko Zombie huddled in the room.

“Just came to see how you were holding up,” Sarah said as if finding Steve hanging out with Neko Zombie was the most normal thing in the world. She settled on the cold floor, adjusting herself so she’d be more comfortable. Sometimes she wished she wasn’t stuck here with a wardrobe that consisted only of jean miniskirts and belly shirts.

Steve’s cheeks colored and he looked at a dent on the floor. “I came to say thank you to Neko Zombie for defending me in the trial… if it wasn’t for him and Cactus Girl, well…”

“We’d all be red smears on the floor by now,” Neko Zombie finished, shaking his head.

“Yeah… It doesn’t make me feel any better about Mummy Papa though,” Steve admitted with his trademark shudder. “That poor guy…”

“It was either him or us. We had no choice, Steve.” Neko Zombie licked a paw and drew it over his ear. “Now Monoputa’s proven that his motives can heavily influence people… More murders are sure to come.”

Steve began to shake. “R-really?!”

“Neko Zombie, you shouldn’t say that,” Sarah sternly insisted.

“It’s a fact,” Neko Zombie stated monotonously. “Mummy Papa might have been a good man, but he willingly killed Judgement Boy Gold. Unlike Judgement Boy, who killed by accident…”

Sarah’s mind briefly flicked to her dream and she fiercely pushed the thought away. _Neko Zombie is right when he says he’d never kill willingly,_ she reminded herself. She filled herself with determination and pressed on.

“Mummy Papa may have killed Gold…. But that was partially our fault. We shouldn’t have underestimated Monoputa and the effect of his motives. Now that we know what he’s capable of…” Sarah looked at her companions with conviction. “…we’re better prepared for the future. If he throws another motive our way, we’ll gather _everyone_ and stick together to make sure everyone is comfortable and calm. I know if Mummy Papa just had more consoling, like Clock Master said, he never would have killed Judgement Boy Gold.”

“That makes sense. No more murders will occur if everyone is friends! But…” Steve shuddered a little and a haunted look crossed his face. “I don’t like the idea of getting closer to Hell’s Chef. Did you see what he did to me in the trial!? Everyone was _speculating_ and he grabbed my shirt and lifted me off the ground! He’s terrifying! I thought he was going to kill me!” Steve hugged himself and muttered: “I wish he was the culprit instead…”

Sarah gave Steve a hard slap on the arm and he gave her the most non-threatening scowl Sarah had ever seen. “It’s true! All of you have so much sympathy for him… but I have a horrible feeling whenever I look at him. Like he’s sizing me up… like he wants to use me as an ingredient in his next meal…”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Steve,” Sarah laughed in spite of the situation. “Hell’s Chef doesn’t want to cook any of us.”

Steve obviously didn’t believe her and turned his face away.

“Hell’s Chef certainly is scary… But befriending him would make him less likely to attack, you know,” Neko Zombie reasoned. “You’d have a bigger chance of seeing your reality.”

That comment seemed to cheer Steve up. “Ahh, when I get there, I’ll come find you, Neko Zombie,” Steve’s eyes shone and he leaned forward, grabbing Neko Zombie’s front paws. Sarah felt her chest flutter. “You have a great heart and deserve a home!”

“I don’t need your sympathy,” Neko Zombie pulled his hands away. “I don’t care whether I live or die. I have nothing.”

“B-but… Neko Zombie…!” Steve spluttered, tears in the corners of his eyes.

“That’s why…” Neko Zombie’s voice was so quiet, the two humans had to strain their ears to hear him. “…I plan on doing everything I can to set you free. No matter the risk.”

Sarah’s breath caught in her throat. _What…does he mean by that?_

“Sarah, shouldn’t you be going to check on the others?” Neko Zombie continued, as if he had never said his previous statement. “I need to talk to Steve.”

“Uh, of course,” Sarah stammered, still a little dumbfounded. “I’ll see you two later!”

“Goodbye, Sarah,” Neko Zombie whispered.

“Y-yeah…” Steve cast a wary glance at Neko Zombie. “Goodbye Sarah! And good luck…”

 

_GHS_

 

Sarah couldn’t believe she was doing this, but she _had_ to check on Poor Conductor. Despite saving everyone the previous night, he retreated to his room immediately and didn’t even join everyone for dinner. Sarah had expected him to soak up his newfound status as a hero, but no, he had rushed and hidden himself away.

_Poor Conductor was always weird…_ Sarah raised her fist to knock on his door and it opened almost instantly.

“Ah, my dear Sarah!” Poor Conductor greeted her happily, grabbing her hands and pulling her into his room. Sarah couldn’t help but be weirded out by his friendly enthusiasm, after all, they had only spoken a grand total of three times, at most. “Do come in! I have something I’ve been wanting to show yooooou~”

“Something to show me…?” Sarah didn’t like the sound of that. She pulled her hands out of Poor Conductor’s and quickly looked around his room. Unsurprisingly, it was quite old fashioned, with several phonographs and record players on display. Sarah briefly wondered what Poor Conductor needed all of those for since he had a portable record player in his mouth.

“Yes, yes!” Poor Conductor grabbed a pile of papers off his desk and beamed at Sarah. “I was wondering if you would do me a favor and listen to the drafts of the songs I’ve been working on. I’m trying to cheer everyone up, you see, and what better way to do that than through my music?” Poor Conductor’s eyes were shimmering with hope. Sarah felt her stomach tie up in a knot.

_I don’t have time for that!_ she thought, clenching her fists. “Uh… Poor Conductor… are you _sure_ you want to show me your lyrics now?” She tried to make herself look nervous and sheepish, putting her arms behind her back and giving Poor Conductor a guilty smile.

“I couldn’t be more sure! You may dress like a trollop, but you have a heart of gold!” Poor Conductor’s face had never looked more punchable to Sarah. “I figured you would be honored to listen to the music of a hero.”

“B-but it’s bad luck to show off your work before it’s done!” Sarah backed up towards the door, her hands up. “Haven’t you ever heard that saying? If you perform it for me before it’s absolutely finished, I’m sure something just _awful_ will happen!”

Poor Conductor touched a hand to his chin and considered this. “That is true…” He hunched over and looked simply depressed. “And I need all the good luck I can get. Simpletons recently have been _attacking_ me whenever I play, even though my music is simply _genius!”_

“W-well, I’m sure they just have different tastes,” Sarah fumbled with the doorknob behind her. “Which is _why_ you should put in extra effort now and take _no_ chances.”

“Hmm… But wait!” Poor Conductor grabbed Sarah by the hand and pulled her towards his bed. She fell onto it’s feathered quilt and scowled up at him. “I’ll sing to you as many drafts as I need to, and when we reach one that you enjoy, I shall work upon a song of a slight variation! Marvelous!”

Sarah tried to squirm her way out. “Really Poor Conductor-”

“Oh, no need to thank me! I understand this is such a high honour for one of your class but really it’s no trouble!” Sarah was grinding her teeth at his words. “Now here’s what I have…” Poor Conductor looked serene as he cleared his throat and began.

_“Lllaaaa! La la la la la laaa!”_

Sarah squeezed her eyes shut and covered her ears as Poor Conductor’s tone deaf singing went up and out of his capable range. Apparently this was part of his piece and he pressed on.

_“Laaa, lalalalalalala laaa…”_

She peeped open one eye as he went the other vocal extreme.

_“La la… When the moon shrouds the house in moonliiiight!”_

“It’s great, Poor Conductor!” Sarah exclaimed, not meaning it. _Anything to get him to stop._

“What? But-But I haven’t even finished the song!” Poor Conductor floundered. “Could it be…? You never intended to hear me from the beginning?”

His uncovered eye began to well up with thick tears and Sarah didn’t even know how it could hold so many without them flushing down his face. He began to make hideous sobbing sounds whilst somehow maintaining his posh attitude. As much as Sarah disliked Poor Conductor, seeing him cry made her feel a wave of guilt, especially when the one giant tear sloshed out of his eye and soaked his phonographs.

“N-no! It’s not that!” It was Sarah’s turn to flounder. “It's…. It's…”

“You- You could tell how good it was from the beginning?” Poor Conductor’s eyes shone at her and she awkwardly looked away.

“Yeah… Something like that…”

“Oh! This is wonderful!” Poor Conductor clasped his hands together. “I knew you’d understand my beautiful music! You aren’t as much of a trollop as I once perceived!” He gathered his sheets of lyric and looked at her with determination. “I shall improve upon this and turn it into a true masterpiece with _no_ bad luck!”

“Wonderful!” Sarah’s eyes darted to the door and she subtly edged towards it. “I’ll leave you to that then. I… have other things to do.” She grabbed the door handle and wrenched the door open. “Goodbye!”

As fast as her legs would take her, she shot out the door and slammed it behind her before power-walking away. _What horror did I just unleash on everyone…?_ Sarah shook her head and regretted the day he would perform. _I can’t let that distract me anymore than it already has. Next I should see Clock Master… and I know just where he is._

 

_GHS_

 

Sarah opened the bar door only to be greeted by a streak of green rushing toward her at the speed of light.

“SENOR-IIIIIITA!” it said, scooping her up into a gigantic hug and spinning her around. Sarah realized, with much annoyance, that it was Cactus Gunman, smelling like booze. “I have missed you so!”

“Gunman, put me down, you’re drunk,” Sarah gave him a not-so-hard punch on the head and he honored her wish, grinning at her from beneath his mustache.

“Is it a crime to want to forget your worries?” Cactus Gunman swayed joyfully, closing his eyes. “We saw a man explode, after all! This is for my mental health, senorita~!”

Sarah’s eyes quickly flicked to the clock on the wall. “Gunman, it’s nine in the morning.” She heard snickering behind her and whirled to see Clock Master sitting on a barstool, watching Gunman with a smirk.

Sarah narrowed her eyes at him. “You’re drinking, too?”

“No, surprisingly!” Clock Master let out a huge belly laugh. “I’ve just been spending time with Cactus Gunman. He’s quite amusing when he’s drunk!”

_Anything to forget his troubles, I guess…_ Sarah didn’t really want to stick around, though. Gunman was being awfully noisy.

“CLOCK MASTER, Hell’s Chef hair is sooooooo long, isn’t that strange? He’s going to catch it on fire one day when he’s cooking, and we’ll probably have to go to a trial!” Cactus Gunman burst out laughing and nearly fell over, Sarah sticking out her arms and catching him.

“No, no, senorita! I’m supposed to catch _you_ when you fall!” Cactus Gunman leaned back and shot Sarah an upside-down flirtatious smile.

“Well, I just…” Sarah pushed him back up. “… came here to check on you two, so I’ll be on my way. I have a lot of people to check on yet.”

“Aww, senorita, you just got here!” Cactus Gunman wheedled, stumbling to block the door.

“Oh, you ought to let her go, Cactus Gunman,” Clock Master nodded sagely. “After all, she needs to go make sure your sister is safe and not in the arms of a certain shady redhead, hmm?”

Cactus Gunman gasped so hard he almost inhaled Sarah’s entire head. “Senorita, if you see that Steve character sniffing around my seester, please…” Cactus Gunman leaned very, very close to Sarah’s face. “… _keeeeel heeeeeeeem_.” he whispered around a torrent of tequila breath.

Sarah frowned, stepped back a little and chose how to play her cards. “No Gunman, I won’t kill anyone. I’m a little ashamed of you for suggesting it.”

Gunman looked devastated. “I’m soooo sorry senorita! Please forgive me, but that boy cannot be with my seester! He is a _monster!”_ He gripped his sombrero and pulled it down tighter in an attempt to hide his face.

Clock Master let out a hearty laugh. “See? I don’t need to drink when this fellow is around!”

She couldn’t help but smile as she pictured the cowardly Steve. Even when he scowled, he was about as threatening as a cute little kitten. “Alright, I won’t kill him. _But_ I will tell him off, is that okay?” She figured agreeing to this wouldn’t impact her. He’d probably not even remember this conversation!

“Ahh, senorita! You’re sooo so so so so kind!” Gunman stumbled into her personal space again with an infatuated expression. He had no intention of stopping there.

“I-it’s nothing, really,” Sarah smiled uncomfortably and, for the second time today, backed towards the door for a means to escape.

“That’s enough of that, Cactus Gunman. How about another round?” Clock Master held up another glass of tequila.

Like a bloodhound, Cactus Gunman stopped in his tracks and sniffed the air. His head shot around and he raced over to Clock Master with a loud gasp.

“Thank you, Clock Master,” Sarah half laughed as she opened the door. “Goodbye you two!”

“Farewell senorita!” Gunman waved his arms above his head, effectively spilling a lot of tequila. He then leaned over to Clock Master and asked in what he probably thought was a whisper: “do you think she sees me?”

“Of course she does, good chum. And me as well! Farewell, Sarah. I’ll keep this one in check,” Clock Master smirked.

“I’d appreciate that,” Sarah left the bar and wiped her forehead. _How many more quick getaways do I have to make in this house?_

Sarah made her way down the hallway and walked by the gym, where she heard feminine noises of exertion from within. Letting her curiosity overcome her, Sarah cracked the gym’s door to see Cactus Girl sprawled on a mat in the middle of the floor, doing situps.

Her hair had been pulled back into a low ponytail, she had ditched her hat, and she was wearing a pair of black and pink sweatpants and a tank top. Sarah couldn’t help but find this scene a little surreal; Cactus Girl’s wardrobe was so stuck in the past that seeing her dressed up in athletic wear was practically mind-boggling.

“Good morning, Sarah!” She greeted as she pulled herself up again, completely effortlessly. There was no breathlessness in her voice and barely any sweat on her forehead. Sarah couldn’t help but be amazed. “Just doing my morning workouts. I always try to get these done before breakfast… plus, they’re a great de-stresser…” Letting out a little huff, Cactus Girl pulled herself into a sitting position, crossing her legs like a pretzel and shooting Sarah a guilty grin. “After last night’s trial, I really needed to clear my mind… Just… damn, Mummy Papa… I did not see that coming at all.” Cactus Girl’s eyes were downcast for a moment, but she quickly bounced back to a sheepish smile. “I… assume you don’t want to talk about the trial, though. It was… a great loss, but if we hadn’t figured out it was Mummy Papa…”

“…it would have been an even greater loss…” Sighing a bit, Sarah decided to join Cactus Girl on the mat. “… but, like you said, we shouldn’t dwell on that. Uh…” Sarah racked her brain for a different topic. “… why are you working out every morning?”

“Tch, it’s obvious, isn’t it?” Cactus Girl stretched her arms as she spoke. “Self-defense! Sure, I can tie an assailant down with a lasso in a split second, but if they managed to sneak up on me…” Cactus Girl patted her belly, a bit of a sad look in her eyes. “… they’d get the upper hand unless I toughened up. I mean, look at me! I’m so tiny, I would probably be seen as an easy target. Ayiyiyi…” Cactus Girl whipped her head towards Sarah, a fire in her eyes. “I want to be able to protect myself! I’m so sick of my brother always saying that my life is in his hands! Dios mio, if anything, it’s the other way around!” Cactus Girl suddenly grew very serious and tilted her head to the side. “Can I tell you something a little personal?”

“Why not?” Sarah unconsciously scooted closer to Cactus Girl. It meant a lot to her that Cactus Girl seemed to trust her.

“In my reality video…” Cactus Girl narrowed her eyes, as if the memory was painful to her. “… my brother… was ambushed by some thugs who were after his blood. I knocked them out in no time flat, even though I was very young. My brother… got really angry at me at first. He wanted to fight them himself; he said his friends at the bar were laughing at him for having his ‘leetle sister’ save his ass.” Cactus Girl shook her head, obviously getting peeved. “But… it flashed to later, and he forgave me. He said I mean a lot to him, that he was happy he had such a strong sister… he even called me by my real first name…”

“Your brother really loves you,” Sarah sighed a bit, giving Cactus Girl a fond smile. “You’re lucky to have someone like him.”

“Yeah, it’s too bad he can’t aim to save his life!” Cactus Girl laughed a bit. “That’s why, as long as I draw breath, I will protect him! Whether he likes it or not!” Cactus Girl lowered her voice and added: “Don’t tell him I told you, though. He still thinks he’s the one protecting _me.”_ Cactus Girl leaned forward, her eyes widening a bit. “Since I became friends with Steve, my brother’s been treating him like garbage. I need to give my brother a piece of my mind; the whole spying on us in the bath thing was all Gregory’s fault, after all.”

“What do you mean, 'fault?’” Sarah blinked, a bit miffed that Cactus Girl brought up that incident. She still blushed at the mere thought of it.

“Gregory actually threatened Steve! I don’t know how he did it, but that’s what Steve told me.” Cactus Girl chuckled a bit. “Gregory is a slimeball. Steve has no reason to lie… I wish he could stand up for himself more. That’s why we’ve been working out together. He’s late, though.” Cactus Girl rose to her feet and stretched, her ponytail bobbing with the motion. “Maybe my training regimen has been too tough. _Mierda,_ I don’t want to have to protect _two_ grown men. He needs to toughen up!”

“As long as you guys don’t get carried away and kill anyone while you’re defending yourself, I’m fine with all this training,” Sarah stood up as well, a small, nervous smile on her lips.

“I’m just going to lasso them up and toss them in a closet. Forever,” A shadow crossed Cactus Girl’s face. “They can’t murder if they can’t move, yes?”

Sarah couldn’t help but laugh at that mental image. “Make sure you at least feed them.”

Before Cactus Girl could respond, the door to the gym swung open, revealing Steve, who had his shirt off and sporting the baggiest sweatpants Sarah had ever seen. Despite him training with Cactus Girl, he didn’t have any strength to show for it. Sarah could swear she could see the faint outline of Steve’s rib cage through his skin. Recalling him doing fifty sit-ups, she couldn’t help but be impressed. Even if he looked weak, he was motivated. She was glad Steve was starting to find his feet.

“Oh, Sarah!” Steve crossed his arms over his chest like a teenage girl who just got walked in on while changing, his face red. “I… didn’t know you’d be here today, too.”

“It’s okay, I was just leaving,” Sarah gave him a warm smile. “I’ll leave you two to your training.”

As Sarah left, she couldn’t help eavesdropping on Cactus Girl and Steve’s conversation.

“What took you so long?”

“I-I was spending time with Neko Zombie. I’m worried about him, you know…”

“Of course I know, you always talk about him.” Cactus Girl was trying to sound irritated, but Sarah could hear a smile in her voice. “Oh, if only your body was as strong as your heart… no one would ever mess with you.”

“That’s what I have you for. Let’s get cracking!”

As Sarah walked away from the gym, she couldn’t help thinking that Gunman was out of his mind for seeing Steve as a bad person.

_Hopefully he’ll be able to see things rationally once he sobers up…_ Sarah chuckled to herself. _I need a break before I check on the others, though. Being the house therapist is a tough job._

Sarah began trekking towards the library, her hands in her shallow pockets and a small smile on her face, pleased that mostly everyone was bouncing back well after the trial.

 

_GHS_

 

“GREGORYYYY!”

The ear piercing wail breached the walls of the calm library. Sarah sighed and put down the book she was reading. It had helped to clear her mind and made her feel fresh and rejuvenated, ready to check up on the others after this rest. But now her moment of peace was gone. _Well, that’s a sign Gregory Mama wasn’t too badly affected by the trial, I suppose. What did Gregory do this time?_

The door opened for a split second and in shot a small red blur. It was Roulette Boy, grinning to himself with Gregory Mama’s cane in his tiny grip. _Oh no._

“Hurry Sarah!” Roulette Boy rushed over to her and grabbed her hand, pulling her towards the bookcases. “Hide!”

He led her behind a bookcase that nearly stretched the span of the room and crouched down, giggling. Sarah frowned at him, disappointed.

“Roulette Boy, did you _steal_ that from Gregory Mama? Do you even know what she’s like?!” She hiss-whispered.

“Of course I do. But this is just a game! For fun! Besides,” a sadistic smirk crossed his face. “It’s really funny to see Gregory take the blame, ahaha! What a big dummy!”

The door abruptly opened once more before slamming shut. Roulette Boy put a finger to his lips, winked and peered through the books. Curious, Sarah peered through too. She spotted Gregory with his back to the door and panting heavily.

“Oh goodness, why is Mama so mad?” Gregory turned around and peered through the keyhole. “And why does she always blame _me?!”_

“GREGORYYYY! WHERE DID YOU TAKE MY CANE?!”

“Oh NO!” Gregory jolted upright and backed away from the door.

Seconds later it burst open to reveal Gregory Mama, absolutely _fuming_ with rage. Initially Sarah was planning to snatch the cane from Roulette Boy and return it, but after seeing Gregory Mama now, she wasn’t so sure that was a good idea. She valued her all her bones being intact after all!

“GREGORY!”

“M-Mama! Wh-what a p-pleasant surprise!” Gregory tried his best to smile from behind his defensively raised arms. “P-please, take a seat and w-we-”

“Don’t be foolish and stop _dodging my question!”_ Gregory Mama walked towards her son and shoved her face in front of his. “WHERE IS MY CANE?!”

“I-I don’t know, Mama! I didn’t take it! It must have been someone else!” Gregory blabbered. “Like that Angel Dog! _She_ must have taken it!”

“Don’t you lie to your _mother!_ I know Angel Dog isn’t as badly behaved as _you_ are. She lives up to her name when compared with you.” Gregory Mama sneered at her son who looked flabbergasted by his mother’s view. “You must think it’s _funny_ to pull a trick on your mother! Grow up, Gregory! I didn’t raise you to stay a child! Now you must have hidden it in this room…”

Gregory Mama looked around the room like a hawk. When her eyes glazed over the bookcase, Sarah ducked away, afraid of the consequences of being spotted. Roulette Boy had also ducked down. He was doing his best to hold in laughter and winked at Sarah. _How can this kid enjoy hurting an innocent person for the sake of his enjoyment?!_ Angrily, Sarah mouthed for him to give the cane back. Roulette Boy stuck out his tongue and shook his head before looking back through the bookcase. Sarah wasn’t finished and placed her hand on his shoulder. Stunned at the sudden touch, the boy jumped a little and glared at her. She glared right back and mouthed _'I said give it back. I’m warning you!’_ After one more brief glance through the bookcase, Roulette Boy nodded with his eyes wide. _Is that…worry?_ As Roulette Boy tiptoed past Sarah and went around the bookcase, Sarah peered through the gap in the books and her jaw nearly dropped. Gregory Mama was heading this way, her eyes darting in every direction as she snooped out the book. _No wonder he’s giving it back!_

But Roulette Boy didn’t give it to Gregory Mama. The sneaky child tottered up to Gregory, shoved the cane into his grasp and sped back to Sarah.

“Wha? _HUH?!”_ Gregory wasn’t sure what just happened, but it only took him a second to catch on. “Roulette Boy! You-”

“Are you blaming that _child_ now, Gregory?” Gregory Mama scorned as she glanced back to him. But that glance turned into a stare. And that stare to a glare. In seconds, Gregory Mama was storming up to Gregory who instantly began to quake with fear, making the cane quiver and Sarah could hear his teeth chatter.

“GREGORYYYY! YOU THINK THIS IS _FUNNY?!”_ Gregory Mama’s hair was beginning to frizz out and Sarah felt terrified just watching this!

Gregory felt that same level of fear, if not more. “N-no Mama! I _swear!_ It wasn’t me! R-Roulette Boy came and-”

“YOU UNGRATEFUL BASTARD!” Gregory Mama snatched her cane back and whacked him continuously over the head; each time, Sarah winced, Gregory yowled and Roulette Boy smiled. When she was satisfied, and Gregory had a large bruise on his head, she dragged him to the door of the library by his ear. “You and I are going to have a _talk_ about how a man your age should behave!”

“Ohhh NO!” Gregory cried as Gregory Mama slammed the door after their exit.

“Woohoo!” Roulette Boy jumped up and fist pumped. “That was a good idea to give the cane back, Sarah! You made it a _lot_ more fun! Aaaand we didn’t get caught!”

“Roulette Boy,” Sarah began her scolding. “Stealing that cane was a terrible thing to do! If Gregory Mama found out it was us-”

“Buuuut she didn’t! And Gregory got really hurt! That dummy had it coming,” Roulette Boy insisted with a grin.

Sarah sighed in defeat. _Nothing I say is going to get through to him. At least I know he’s okay after the trial._

“I don’t get why you let me hide with you,” Sarah changed the subject to ease a nagging question on her mind. “I would have thought you would have found it funnier if I was caught up in that mess.”

Roulette Boy sucked up a bit of drool and looked away. “You showed everyone it was Mummy Papa and you helped find out who killed James. I don’t want to get on _your_ bad side!” Roulette Boy grinned up at her and skipped to the door. “I’m going to play some more. Buh-bye!” He giggled as he left the library and Sarah smiled to herself.

_At least I know I’ve earned his respect. After that little ordeal there’s just two more people to see._ Sarah headed for the door, knowing her next destination.

 

_GHS_

 

Sarah approached the kitchen door and even though she was still a fair distance away, could hear voices on the other side. It appeared that Hell’s Chef was as displeased with Catherine’s presence as ever.

“Oh, but, Hell’s Chef! You really are _soooo_ generous to make meals for everyone,” Sarah heard Catherine swoon when she got close enough for words to be distinguishable. “Especially in such… _tense_ times…”

Hell’s Chef grunted. “I don’t want anyone in my kitchen.”

_Now’s as good a time as ever,_ Sarah shrugged to herself as she entered the harsh, metal kitchen; the place of her nightmare. It didn’t make her feel any better that her entrance was met with two cold glares. Catherine was next to Hell’s Chef who was stirring a boiling pot with a wooden spoon. She dropped her hands from beneath her chin and moved them to her hips when Sarah didn’t leave show signs of leaving.

“Sarah, do you mind? Hell’s Chef is trying to work and he simply _can’t_ have any distractions,” Catherine hinted sternly. Hell’s Chef just grunted and went back to stirring the bubbling red pot in front of him.

“I-I’m sorry,” Sarah stammered. _I didn’t think intruding would make her defensive!_ “I just came to check on how you were after… you know.”

“The trial? We’re fine, I can assure you. Hell’s Chef can take _anything._ He isn’t swayed even a little after his framing!” Catherine stared at the candle longingly, not noticing his grip on his spoon had tightened immensely at her words. “Such courage…”

“And what about you? Are you handling it okay?” Sarah tried to narrow down the question. Catherine could ramble about Hell’s Chef for hours!

“Me? Well, I _was_ upset after Judgement Boy Gold died. He really was such a fine figure… But as long as my Hell’s Chef is alive…” She chuckled cheekily. “I know I’ll be just fine.” She purred and stroked his hair, which made Sarah feel very much like she shouldn’t be here.

“CATHERINE!” Hell’s Chef flung down his spoon and whipped around, making Catherine jump back in surprise. “You…!”

“Wh-what is it? Is something wrong?” Sarah had never seen more genuine concern on Catherine’s face.

“You are _DISTRACTING_ me from my _COOKING!”_ Hell’s Chef stamped his feet in rage. _“OUT!_ OUT OF MY KITCHEN!”

“B-but-”

“GO!”

Catherine stood there in wordless shock for a few seconds before chuckling a little. “Ooh, I like it when you’re feisty. But if that’s what you need to _work your magic_ then I’ll go.”

As Catherine approached Sarah and the door, she slowed down to mutter. “Men. They don’t know a good woman when they see one.”

She promptly left the room, leaving Sarah and Hell’s Chef alone in silence. _Now that I think about it, this might not be so bad. Angel Dog_ _was_ _right when she said he’s not a heartless monster._

“Don’t be a distraction like her,” Hell’s Chef interrupted Sarah’s thoughts. He didn’t even look over his shoulder; it was as though he could sense the location of everything in the kitchen.

“I-I won’t! I swear!” She stammered. After a pause in which Hell’s Chef moved to start cutting carrots, she built up the courage to generate more conversation. “Hell’s Chef… You had a nightmare last night, did you?”

_TWANG!_

The knife Hell’s Chef had been using had been thrown into the chopping board with so much force it was still vibrating. The thrower slowly turned to face Sarah and looked at her with an intense glare.

Sarah gulped. “I-It’s not a bad thing, of course! I just thought-”

“WHAT?! THAT YOU WOULD SPREAD _LIES_ AND _DISTRACT_ ME FROM MY _COOKING?!”_ He started to stamp his feet like a monstrous toddler. “YOU _TOLD ME_ YOU _WOULDN’T!”_

“It’s not like that at all!” Sarah insisted, her knees beginning to quake. “It’s just, well, knowing you have nightmares makes you seem more human. I’m sure everyone in the house would like to know you aren’t a cold-blooded killer like you’re made out to be, right? It-it would help put an end to distrust…And I’ll do anything I can to make that happen!”

“…” Hell’s Chef maintained his glare at her and Sarah stood in frightened anticipation. The tension was broken by two words. “Angel Dog?”

Sarah nodded and tried to regain some confident body language. “She told me. But I thought hearing it from you myself would make it more believable to others when they asked, so it wouldn’t sound like gossip. They’d believe it, and maybe they wouldn’t make the mistakes others have made: sacrificing friends in a gamble for reality. Whatever awaits them there…”

This must have struck a nerve with Hell’s Chef because he instantly turned around and resumed his cutting at the chopping board. _Just when I thought I was getting through to him, he gets all closed off! Why’d I have to bring up reality?! It probably reminded him of Mummy Papa and his stolen knife!_

Calming herself and resisting the urge to stamp her foot in frustration, she pressed on one last time. “I had a nightmare too, you know. You’re not the only one. I was…terrified. It even took place in this kitchen. I can’t believe I dreamt about something as silly as being killed by Judgement Boy, but at the time I was so scared… Even after, I was still shaken up and Angel Dog had to calm me down. I see why you two stick together; she’s a good friend… Even though I know my dream could never happen, I’m still scared of dying; even being betrayed by friends! But that’s why this killing has to stop. I don’t want to kill or be killed. I don’t want to be afraid even though I am. I need to make sure anything resembling that dream doesn’t come true.” She paused and then directed the conversation back to Hell’s Chef and feigned ignorance. “So what was yours about? I swear I’ll do my best to stop yours too.”

“… I was executed,” Hell’s Chef muttered, not turning around. “I killed Angel Dog. I couldn’t say that to her. She keeps my temper under control; I don’t want her knowing she died in my dream because of it. She doesn’t deserve that.”

Sarah gave Hell’s Chef a genuine smile, surprised by the depth of care he regarded her with. “That’s really sweet, Hell’s Chef. I’ll-”

“YOU TRICKED ME!” Hell’s Chef yelled, swinging around to Startled Sarah. “YOU- YOU- YOU TWISTED MY WORDS! YOU MADE ME REVEAL IT! GET OUT OF MY KITCHEN!”

Slightly stronger than before, Sarah took a more defensive stance and glared at him in protest. “Hey, all I did was try to he-”

Hell’s Chef picked up his massive knife and held it up, narrowing his eyes at Sarah. _“LEEEEAAAVE!”_

Instantly, she rocketed out of the room and sprinted to the far end of the dining table, afraid of pursuit. When she saw she was alone, she relaxed her shoulders and sighed in relief. _Hell’s Chef opened up for two seconds, but that was enough to prove he really does have feelings under there. I just wish he wasn’t so uptight about his cooking and could control that crazy temper when Angel Dog’s not around._

An unwelcome voice rang out over the intercom, snapping Sarah out of her cloud of thought.

“Hellooooo, everyone! Did ya miss me?” Monoputa sang. Sarah would bet her life that he was dancing around mockingly as he spoke, shaking his tiny hips. “I sure miss all of you! That’s why I want all of you to meet me in the lobby! I’ve got some awesome news~!”

Sarah knew there was a 99.9% chance the news would only be awesome for Monoputa.

“Don’t think you can skip out! I’ve got execution machines and I can’t wait to use 'em!” With that, Monoputa’s gratingly chipper voice signed off.

Sarah, not left with much of a choice, ambled into the lobby. She glanced over her shoulder and noticed, unsurprisingly, that Hell’s Chef hadn’t yet come, despite the fact he was one of the closest people to the lobby besides Sarah. This might’ve been a good thing considering their recent chat.

Soon, she was joined by everyone else. Neko Zombie seemed a bit on edge, his paws in his pockets and grinding his teeth. Steve had put on a wrinkled shirt that was absolutely soaked with sweat, no doubt from his strict training with Cactus Girl, who was still decked out in her athletic wear. Clock Master had sat down on one of the couches, watching Cactus Gunman, who was still quite a bit drunk. Gunman was currently swaying next to Angel Dog, telling her how gorgeous she looked in her dress. Before he could even finish his sentence, however, Hell’s Chef came out of the kitchen and clocked him on the back of the head.

“If this is another motive…” Gregory Mama broke the silence as she absent-mindedly examined her nails. “…I’m going to kick that Prompter into the wall.”

“You’ll get killed if you do that,” Catherine warned.

“I think Monoputa deserves a kick to the wall…” Gregory jumped in, a slight grin on his lips. His mother tightened the grip on her cane, but she couldn’t help agreeing with her son. She wasn’t going to smack him over this.

“Sorry I’m late!”

That voice wasn’t Monoputa’s. Everyone turned to see Poor Conductor rushing in, all smiles, his arms full of sheet music.

“I was wondering who was making those awful noises!” Roulette Boy scowled at him.

“Hmph! Well I was _busy_ working on a piece for all of you!” Poor Conductor had started talking with disdain but his excitement moved him to joy. He moved to the front of the crowd, his back facing the wall. “It's… really just lyrics, since I can only conduct and sing, but I have the accompaniment in my mouth!” Poor Conductor pointed to the vinyl currently sitting in his jaw. “Shame I don’t have a full orchestra… Then all of you could see my true potential!”

“MAKE HIM STOP TALKING!” Cactus Gunman demanded, his words slurred. He pointed a gun at Poor Conductor and his sister flew over, swatting it out of his hand.

“You’re drunk, Big Brother, keep your mouth shut,” Cactus Girl grabbed all of her brother’s armaments and stuck them on herself, despite his protests. She looked over at Poor Conductor, his eyes welling up with tears as he peeked over his stack of sheet music. “I’m sorry, Poor Conductor, you were saying?”

“Monoputa's… still not here, right?” Poor Conductor’s eyes scanned the room and, seeing no traces of the black and white menace, he beamed. “Ahh, I could perform this piece for all of you! It’s a token of my esteemed appreciation, since all of you listened to me during the trial and let me lead you to a great victory!”

“Eeeww! I don’t wanna hear that! Gross!” Roulette Boy covered the sides of his head with his hands. “Besides, you didn’t do by yourself.”

“Si, the whole reason you remembered that was because of Sarah’s investigation skills,” Cactus Girl was surprised she agreed with him for once and jerked her thumb at Sarah, who bit her lip and tried to look nonchalant.

“Exactly! She and I worked together beautifully then _and_ just recently, when she gave my song her stamp of approval as I sung it for her earlier!” Poor Conductor shifted his papers to one arm and adjusted his cravat, exuding confidence. “I’m finally satisfied with my work!”

“You did _what?”_ Gregory Mama looked at Sarah incredulously, her expression one of honest horror.

“Maybe… maybe…” Cactus Gunman was still struggling to speak, having forgotten how his mouth works in his alcoholic bliss. “Maybe it’s not bad! If Sarah said she liked it…”

“He has a point,” Clock Master shrugged. “Might as well let him give it a shot.”

Gregory Mama rolled her eyes so hard their movement was practically audible. Despite that, Poor Conductor beamed and hugged the sheet music to his chest. “Thank you all _so_ much! You will not regret it!” After he poked at his mouth a bit, his record began to turn, and his audience instantly regretted it.

_“La la la la lalalalaLAAAA!_

_La la la la lalalalalaaa…_

_When the mist covers the hotel in clooouuuud!_

_You will all hear a tremendous sooouuuud!_

_The ridiculous oaf in black and white will faaaallll!_

_Bringing joy and love to the eyes of aaaallll!”_

Poor Conductor’s rhymes were physically painful, and he was so off pitch Sarah’s face burned with secondhand embarrassment.

“You thought _this_ was _good?”_ Steve whispered as he raised a curious brow at Sarah.

She blushed even deeper and she spluttered: “I-I just told him it was to get him to shut up! Come on… we can endure this for three minutes!”

“AAAAAAAAAAGH!”

A loud screech from the doorway caused everyone to freeze. Poor Conductor’s singing ceased, but his record still played his backing music.

Monoputa scrambled through the shocked crowd and stood in front of Poor Conductor, his chest heaving and the pale half of his face scarlet with rage.

“I couldn’t get here fast enough to stop that auditory assault!” Monoputa pointed an accusing finger at Poor Conductor, who dropped his sheet music and whimpered. “That was the most _horrible_ thing I’ve ever heard! Not to mention you _insulted me_ in the lyrics!”

“Monoputa, he-” Sarah tried to reason with the angry Prompter, but Monoputa wasn’t having that.

“SHUT UP!” Monoputa didn’t even bother to turn around to look at Sarah. “I’m not taking this attack on my character and my ears lying down! You have directly assaulted me!” Snapping his fingers, Monoputa looked up at the ceiling. An enormous, deadly looking gun descended from above Monoputa and pointed itself at Poor Conductor.

Poor Conductor froze, sweat gushing down his face and his knees trembling as he stared down the barrel of the gun. Time seemed to stand still as everyone looked on in horror, not knowing what to do or how to react.

“Show’s over,” Monoputa said coldly as he looked up at the gun. “FIRE!”

The gun warmed up quickly and began to fire. Poor Conductor’s world slowed down and he realized that the gun wasn’t firing bullets at him, it was firing sharpened record needles.

The first few missed him, but they managed to snag his clothes and stick him to the wall, unable to move. He squeezed his eyes shut and prepared for the inevitable onslaught of pain.

The needles were so fast paced that they were ricocheting off the walls, only a few of them sticking into the wall on impact. When Hell’s Chef noticed that, his jaw dropped behind his collar and he yelled “GET DOWN!” before dropping to the floor himself, dragging poor Angel Dog down with him by the back of her dress.

Everyone else hit the deck, apart from Gregory, who watched with morbid fascination and a smirk on his face. Roulette Boy couldn’t help but watch either, chewing on his thumb and drooling like crazy.

The first needle to hit Poor Conductor got him in the chest. It was small and sharp, but undeniably painful. Poor Conductor felt blood flow out of the wound, soiling and darkening his jacket. It was followed by another, and another, and another, the afflictions worsening every time, piling agony upon agony. Poor Conductor’s world got fuzzy as the needles continued to pierced his frame.

_So… this is how it ends…_ he found himself thinking as his hand was speared with two more needles, one after another, causing that hand to become immobile and useless and even more pain to wreak havoc upon his dying body. Tears flooded down Poor Conductor’s face, a noiseless wail erupting from the shreds of his neck. _So much for being a-_

“AAAAAAAAAGH!” Poor Conductor screamed as a needle pierced his eye, shattering his monocle and causing glass to pepper the ground like snow on Christmas Eve. His breathing became ragged and he screamed silently under his breath as the onslaught of torture continued, the room filled with the sound of the gun’s unrelenting barrage of misery.

The needles began to come faster and the gun’s aim became worse. More and more projectiles bounced off the wall and Sarah could have sworn she felt one whiz by just above her ponytail.

Finally, Poor Conductor’s head drooped, tears and blood splattering onto the floor below him, pooling into a diluted, red liquid. The gun fired one last strong round before ceasing, but most of the needle-bullets hit the wall and went flying into the crowd.

“WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUGH!” someone screamed. Sarah couldn’t see who they were, but she could only imagine what state Poor Conductor was in at this point. She was sure it would make _anybody_ scream.

The gun turned off and Monoputa let out a sigh of satisfaction. “Now _that’s_ a show we can all-”

“AAAAAAAAGH! I CAN'T… I CAN'T…”

“Who’s interrupting-oh…” Monoputa turned around and a smirk of delight crossed his face. “Two for one deal!” Monoputa bounced happily. “Everything’s coming up Monoputa!”

The screaming continued and Sarah, no matter how much she didn’t want to look, forced herself up and looked towards the source of the scream.

“Oh my God…” Gregory Mama breathed, covering her mouth in shock.

Sarah couldn’t blame her.

The person screaming was Gregory, who had dropped to his knees with a palm pressed against his left eye. From underneath his hand flowed an unsightly swill of blood, tears, and optic fluid.

A wail of horror couldn’t help escaping from her mouth as she took in the sight. And she wasn’t the only one who didn’t take it well. Steve, who had stood up abruptly out of fear, was knocked right back down again as he fainted. Even Cactus Girl’s knees went weak as all this trauma in the space of a minute overwhelmed her and she stumbled back. Neko Zombie’s eyes were as wide as they could go but he did nothing, not even scream. Almost everyone in the group was panicking in a uniform fashion… and the cries of shock were only broken by the enduring laugh of Roulette Boy, who was having a blast.

Monoputa strolled up to him and put a bloodsoaked arm around him. “I love this kid!”

Angel Dog, the only person who seemed to be keeping her head, fluttered up to them. “How can you two react like this when Gregory is in pain?! I know he’s an annoying rat, but he didn’t do anything wrong! This isn’t right!”

Monoputa dropped his arm and smacked a hand onto his face. Around this time, Catherine got her bearings, and after making sure the unaffected Hell’s Chef was alright, marched over to give him a piece of her mind.

“She has a point Monoputa. You can’t break your own rules,” Catherine had to raise her voice to be heard over Gregory’s wailing.

“Uuuuurghhh…” Monoputa groaned.

The newly sobered Gunman looked like he wanted to sprint for the hills and his legs were pulling him to the door. “Ayiyiyiyi! Monoputa! You must do something!”

“UuuuRRAAARGH! All you guys do is WHINE!” Monoputa put his hands behind his back and drooped his head. “You’re ruining the fun! That adrenaline rush the best thing I’ve felt in a while…” Monoputa hugged himself, donning a lecherous smile.

“MONOPUTA!” Hell’s Chef began to stomp over. “MAKE HIM _STOOOOPPP!”_

“I’M GOING TO BLEED TO DEATH! AAAAAAAAGH!” Gregory was running blindly, hoping for the actions to compensate for the trauma.

“Stop moving and calm down, Gregory! You’ll make yourself bleed faster!” Gregory Mama scolded, her arms crossed.

“WILL YOU ALL JUST _SHUT UP?!”_ Monoputa screeched.

The room went almost completely silent, the only noise being heard was Gregory’s stifled wails. Clock Master put a hand on Gunman’s shoulder to stop him sprinting away into oblivion and Sarah stumbled numbly forward to Cactus Girl’s side.

“Alright,” Monoputa turned to Catherine and rolled his eyes. “You have my 'explicit permission’ to heal this wailing freak. I’m only saying that because he didn’t do anything wrong…” He scowled in annoyance. “So go let Candle-baby carry him to your office.”

Hell’s Chef almost stormed over but Angel Dog caught his sleeve and shook her head.

“But before you do that! The real reason why I called you here!” Monoputa opened his bloodied arms grandly. “I have-”

“NNNOOOOOOO!” Gregory erupted. “TELL US LATER! PLEASE!”

“Pipe down, Gregory. A few more seconds won’t kill you,” Gregory Mama snorted at her weakling of a son. “Besides, I don’t want to come back to this fool again.”

“I’m offended!” Monoputa placed his hand on his chest in fake hurt. “You ain’t so bright either, grandma. Sorry, _great_ grandma! An old hag like you shouldn’t even be alive!”

Gregory Mama swung around. “WHAT WAS THAT?!”

“I said a new, tiny world has been opened!” Monoputa smiled at her smugly.

“NO YOU DIDN’T!”

“Well, there is! You bastards can now access the garden through the door in the kitchen and the steel one in the middle of the hallway. I bet you were wondering where that lead… In the garden you’ll find- Well, I won’t spoil that… But I know a few of you will enjoy it~”

“CAN I _PLEASE_ GO NOW?!” Gregory’s only good eye was in tears and his face was red from holding back his screams.

“Urgh, fine. It’s up to you to heal him, nursey! Enjoy your pain and your new world!” Monoputa left with those words for the guests finally leaving them free to do as they desired.

“Hell’s Chef,” Sarah began, a little unsure how to approach him. “I think Monoputa was onto something when he said you should carry Gregory.”

“YES! PLEASE! TAKE ME!” Gregory flung out his arms with such force, a little bit of the goop from his eye sprayed onto Neko Zombie who moaned and wiped it off.

“Hmph,” Hell’s Chef walked over to him and hoisted him over his shoulder like a toothpick.

“You’re so strong…” Catherine swooned. “Come on, I’ll make you two _aaaall_ better.”

She sashayed out of the room with Hell’s Chef in tow, Gregory bleeding freely all over Hell’s Chef’s back. Sarah glanced at Poor Conductor’s body and met Cactus Girl’s troubled eyes. _It’s getting harder and harder to hang onto hope. I feel like I’m fighting an uphill battle._

“I’ll take Steve to his room,” Cactus Girl bent down and slung the unconscious boy’s arm over her shoulder. “You all should check out the garden.”

As she exited, Angel Dog slammed her fist into her palm determinedly. “She’s right! We can’t just stand around! We need to see if that garden has anything useful! Let’s go!”

She fluttered out, leading the disoriented, shocked crew of innocents to the next location; all of them unsure about what lay in there. Sarah racked her mind of the useful things they might find, and a spark of hope was rekindled as they left the bloody lobby.

In the darkness, Poor Conductor could only hear the voices slowly fade away, his vision a thing of the past. His breathing was faint and gradually falling the pace of slowed footsteps. He opened his mouth, hoping to call back for Catherine, but blood had replaced the strength in his voice, making him cough up some of the red liquid. His eyes began to close and the call of the light grew stronger. He would go to it. He would escape this horror, for in the past few minutes, one thing had been proven. The one thing he had been suspecting for as long as he could remember.

“No one… cares… about… me.”


	16. Guns and Roses

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _FINALLY finished!_   
>  _Me and Ven are so happy to finally get this to you guys and we apologize for the long, long wait. Real life stuff. :(_   
>  _Illustrations by shortlifelongart and pornconductor, as always! I hope you enjoy the art too~_   
>  _Without further ado, here’s the chapter!_

”Senorita…” Cactus Gunman sidled up to Sarah, who was white as could be and shaking like crazy. “Are you okay…?”

Sarah tried to speak, but she felt like if she opened her mouth, she’d vomit all over Gunman. Monoputa had killed Poor Conductor, right in front of everyone, and laughed when Gregory got injured. Sure, maybe there was a tiny flame of hope still in her; but that flame was weak and fading fast under the winds of all this despair. The cruelty just made her sick!

Cactus Gunman had been terrified himself. He had stumbled into the room drunk and carefree, but the intense adrenaline rush of fear as Poor Conductor got pelted with needles sobered him up horrifically fast, sending him back to the terrifying reality and warping him into a coward once again. His feelings for Sarah were unchanged, however, and her care came before his worries.

“N-no…” Sarah feebly admitted.

_Usually I’m so driven but… what point is there in resisting? Monoputa will massacre us if we step a toe out of line. I’ll have to watch my friends die because_ _I_ _told them to. I’ll watch them die before me like Poor Conductor, Judgement Boy, and everyone else._ Gunman seemed to sense Sarah’s gloom and put his hand on her shoulder in an attempt to console her.

“Senorita-” Gunman was cut off by Angel Dog fluttering down the hall to them.

“Come on you two! You’re lagging behind!” Angel Dog smiled as she waggled a finger at them, as though they were naughty children. “The others are nearly at the garden already!”

Giggling, she turned around and flew away at a speed Sarah didn’t know she was capable of.

Gunman also sped up his pace, but not quite to that degree. “Come along, senorita. We must meet with the others.”

Blinking weakly, Sarah put one foot in front of the other a _little_ faster than before and although that wasn’t quite the pace he was hoping for, Gunman made do. Sarah noticed this and wanted to give him a thankful squeeze of the hand, but remembered what happened last time and thought better of it.

The trip to the garden’s door, which Gunman made sure was in rejuvenating silence, calmed Sarah down a little and gave her time to digest what she had seen. It didn’t make it any less horrifying, but the static that once surrounded her head had begun to dissipate.

“Wait, Gunman…” Sarah spoke up, tugging on Gunman’s poncho to stop him from opening the door. “Let’s see if Steve wants to join us.”

Gunman stiffened before he looked over his shoulder at her, his mustache drooping along with his frown. _“Why?”_

Sarah never heard so much vitriol in the word “why” before. “Do I need a reason? He’s my friend and I want him to come with us.”

Cactus Gunman shook his head, letting out an enormous sigh. “… okay.”

“Your sister took him to his room, which is-”

“SHE DID _WHAT?!”_ Before Sarah could even react, Gunman’s prickly hand closed around her wrist and she found herself being dragged down the hallway at the speed of light.

Sarah couldn’t help but smirk a little in spite of everything as the hallway blazed by. _I knew that would get him._

_ _

Cactus Gunman wound up kicking Steve’s door off its hinges. _**“STEVE!”**_

"WAUGH!” Steve pulled his covers over his head, shaking like a leaf. “WHAT DID I DO PLEASE DON’T KILL ME-”

“Calm down, Gunman!” Sarah’s authoritative tone had returned and she smacked Gunman on the back causing little holes in her hand which blood began to trickle out of. Sarah ignored this, feeling the situation demanded more attention than her hand. Gunman realized how much he missed Sarah’s bossy, commanding side whenever she became upset. He was glad she was back to her old self. Steve peeked out from under the covers, revealing that his face was pale and sweaty.

“You okay, Steve? You’re all white…” Sarah tentatively approached him.

“I got woken up my Gunman breaking my door and yelling at me, so I could be better…” Steve wiped sweat from his brow, color returning to his pale face.

After shooting a glare at Gunman, Sarah turned her attention back to Steve. “Sorry about that. I just wanted to get you up to speed… there’s a new area open to us, the garden. Gregory’s hurt, too… but he won’t die. Not from an injury like his.” Sarah shook her head. “We came to see if you wanted to explore the garden with us.”

“Ohhhh, this is all too much…” Steve went pale again and Sarah was sure he’d refuse to join them on the garden trek. Behind her back, Cactus Gunman crossed his fingers. “… but I don’t want to go look at it by myself… and staying in here with a broken door is asking for trouble. Okay, I’ll go.”

“We’re glad to have you along!” Sarah chirped.

He hopped out of bed, revealing that he was fully clothed, shoes and all, and gave Sarah and Gunman a nervous smile; and he was right to be nervous from the look on Gunman’s face. Sarah pointedly elbowed his poncho and beamed encouragingly at Steve.

Gunman gave Steve a fake smile and rubbed his side with a mix of pain and affection as Sarah walked forward and whispered in a low voice. “Act your best. We have to make him like you so he approves of you and Cactus Girl.”

Steve blushed and stepped back, nodding.

“If you’re done, Gunman, we can start,” Sarah smirked at the cactus as he fawned over the forming bruise which would forever remind him of the bossy attitude he loved.

“Er, of course, senorita!” Gunman jumped, shocked into reality.

He raced over to the doorway and nobly gestured for Sarah to go first. She blushed and obliged and he winked at her as she went past. _Maybe he’s not so bad…_ She walked a little way down the hall and peered over her shoulder to see Gunman glare at Steve as he meekly crept out. The latter began to sweat nervously and sped up to catch up with Sarah, Gunman watching him like a hawk as he followed.

“I hope you have some ideas to convince him…” Steve whispered.

“Senorita, is this _boy_ troubling you?” Gunman smoothly slid in on her other side. “If he’s pressuring you to-“

"No!” Sarah was startled. “Relax - both of you. What matters right now is finding something that can help us escape.” She walked a little faster so she could reach the door, that was only a few steps away, first. The others we’re a few paces behind. “Now let’s see what Monoputa has in store for us…”

She opened the door, revealing the depths of the garden and her housemates scurrying around for clues. It was a rather small area, especially when compared with the last reveal, and it didn’t have much within it either; although it was hard to tell with the fog rolling over the damp grass.

Directly opposite the three companions, about fifteen paces away, was the metal door that led to the kitchen. Along that wall, a bench was specially placed, with a lamp post a few feet away. Clock Master seemed to have claimed that bench as his as he slumped back and relaxed, watching Roulette Boy skip around in the field, exclaiming with glee.

To the left were two rickety, unstable looking sheds; the one to the right was larger than the other and had some words scrawled onto it’s door. Sarah could hear two voices coming from it - one so soft that Sarah could only just acknowledge it and the other loud and proud. The smaller shed to the left was padlocked shut and had chains wrapped around it like a condemned building. _I don’t think I was going to go in there anyway,_ Sarah thought.

To the right were some classically spooky looking fences made of iron railings which almost completely fenced off an area, save an empty gap in the centre so that people could enter. Sarah couldn’t see what lay beyond very clearly due to the brick columns, that occurred whenever the fence changed direction, being in the way.

“Wow… This place looks kind of peaceful…” Steve murmured in awe. A grin grew on his freckled face. “And it has grass! I like it here.”

“Si senor,” Gunman cast him a wary and suspicious side glance. “It is rather… comfortable. Of course, I prefer an area for target practice.”

“No reason you can’t make one for yourself in here. There’s plenty of open space,” Sarah pointed out.

“Ah, always a thinker, senorita,” Gunman pointed to his head and smiled at her. “I like that.” He grinned at Roulette Boy in a sinister fashion, although the boy was unaware. “Especially since it would impede on the play space of that little-”

“Um, do we really have to talk about weapons right now?” Steve nervously cut in. “I mean, right after… you know.” Sarah nodded in reasonable agreement while Gunman scowled.

“Hmph, so you are not man enough for guns, but you are man enough to attempt to seduce my seester?” He tilted his hat down and glared at Steve from beneath it. “What kind of a man are you?”

“Heyyyy! It’s Clock Master!” Sarah grabbed Steve by the wrist and dragged him over to the unlikely pair. She felt a little regretful that she didn’t grab Gunman’s wrist, but she didn’t want to be pricked by his needles.

“Oh! Finally turned up have we? It’s good to see you’re well, Steve. You certainly bounce back fast!” Steve smiled awkwardly as Clock Master heartily laughed, then continued. “I’m leaving it up to you young’uns to explore while I watch over.”

“You’re working hard, aren’t you?” Sarah muttered dryly.

Clock Master jerked his head to Roulette Boy who had stopped playing to come watch. “Someone has to keep this little one in check!”

“And that’s him,” Roulette Boy nodded authoritatively. “Not like Gunman could to it, haha!”

“I’ll have you know I am wellaware of how to take care of kids like _you,”_ Gunman spat at the child.

"You’re just saying that so Sarah will like you!” Roulette Boy stuck a finger in his mouth and feigned a gag.

“Alright, that’s enough, little one,” Clock Master chided as he noticed that Gunman was filled with a mix of fear and hatred, and placed his hand on the child’s head to make him stop.

“Okay… But only because _you_ said so!” Roulette Boy bounced away and continued playing in the grass.

"I hope my son is as playful as him,” Clock Master sighed wistfully. “You fellows should let Angel Dog know you’re here. She’d want to make sure you’re with the rest of us.”

“Where is she?” Steve looked around for a sign of her.

Clock Master scratched his head and then pointed over to the iron railing fences. “She went that way, I believe. You best be on your way, so good luck with exploration and call out if you find anything worthwhile.”

“Will do, senor,” Gunman tilted his hat. He grinned cheekily. “If I find any tequila, you will be the first I tell.”

Clock Master laughed. “I like you! Have fun!”

As Sarah and her companions bid their farewells and walked off, with her giving Gunman a nudge in the ribs for that last comment, Roulette Boy pulled down his lower eyelid and stuck out his tongue. _Thankfully, Gunman didn’t see that…_

They approached the iron fences and strode through the opening into a somewhat quaint and calm area. There were two built up garden beds next to each other, a smaller one filled with roses and a larger with herbs and other pink flowers that Sarah couldn’t identify. She couldn’t help but feel sorry for them, however. It was no surprise to her that they had been neglected and were wilting in a place like this. She didn’t know if Gregory Mama, who was examining the roses, felt the same sympathy, but she felt Angel Dog certainly did. The dog sighed as she stroked the drooping petals of one of the pink flowers.

“How disappointing…” Angel Dog attempted to smile as she looked at the newcomers. “At least they can get the love and care they need now that this garden is open to us.”

Steve, who looked absolutely devastated when he saw the condition of the flora, perked up a little. _These flowers are just like Neko Zombie…_ he thought. _They’re in bad condition now, but will be_ _wonderful_ _after some attention!_ Sarah realised, after gauging Gunman’s reaction of horror and indignation when his eyes rested on the roses, that _both_ the boys were even more worried about the flowers than her.

“Indeed,” Gregory Mama agreed. “These roses _better_ improve soon; I need them to make me look even more beautiful.”

Gunman strode forward like an alpha male and stood between the two garden beds. “Well, if these flowers are causing the senoritas so much trouble,” he eyed the roses fondly, “then I will dedicate my time to restoring them…”

"W-well, I’d like to help out with that,” Steve had stepped forward, but with the attention on him seconds later, he turned bright red. “W-we could ask Monoputa for some mulch or fertilizer; maybe a few tools…”

“Those things could be in the shed over there,” Sarah jerked her thumb over her shoulder, happy to encourage Steve. _I’m glad he’s finding something positive to immerse himself in! With Gunman too! This could be what we wanted!_

“You… wish to help me tend these flowers?” Gunman questioned suspiciously.

“Y-y-yes? I-is that okay?” Steve shuffled his feet and his face went even redder.

“Okay? It’s wonderful!” Angel Dog was ecstatic. “You two will make these flowers bloom in no time flat! And Chef will be extra grateful if you fix up those herbs too!”

Gunman still wasn’t done and stepped closer to Steve, his eyes piercing and accusatory. “But what is your motive?”

Steve pulled up his shirt collar in an attempt to hide his terrified face. He couldn’t stand it when Gunman looked at him like that.

“Tch, look at him. He’s pathetic!” Gregory Mama scoffed, putting her hands on her hips.

Sarah had had enough and extended her arm to it’s full length to comfortingly hold his shoulder. “Come on, Steve!” Sarah encouraged.

Even though everyone, including Gunman, overheard that, the prickly cactus didn’t change his gaze. Steve gulped. “I mean, r-roses are my favourite f-flower…”

Gunman had been caught completely off guard. “Eh?! Th-they’re what?”

“Y-yeah… I’ve loved roses ever since I was little. And when I saw these ones…” Steve looked fondly at the flowers, briefly getting lost in memories. “… I really wanted to help them. A-and I can’t only just do the roses! Like Angel Dog said, H-Hell’s Chef would appreciate the herbs and I’d feel terrible if I neglected the rest! I…I know that probably sounds silly, but I really want to help…”

Sarah placed a hand on her heart and sighed with pleasure. _What a sweet guy. Gunman better appreciate him pouring out his heart like that._ Gregory Mama muttered something scathing under her breath and rolled her eyes, trudging to the left, past the others.

Gunman was still stunned, frozen in place. After a few more seconds of a raging war between prejudice and fact, he hung his shoulders in defeat. “Maybe… you are not so bad. I will permit you to help me restore these flowers.” A steely glint entered his eyes and he grinned proudly. “We will make them blossom like never before! For the senoritas, of course.”

Steve heaved a sigh of relief and smiled as though a weight was lifted off his shoulders. He looked to Sarah to share the joy, but her gaze was preoccupied. As Gunman winked at her, she couldn’t help but feel her heart flutter a little. Their brief eye contact was broken when Angel Dog roped her arms around Steve and Gunman’s necks and pulled them close, giggling.

“I’m so happy you two are getting along! Before you know it, you two will be like family!” She exclaimed, oblivious to their choking and spluttering and the cactus needles in her arm.

“FAMILY?!” Gunman pulled himself free from Angel Dog who, in her surprise, released Steve. “Senorita, I respect Steve more than I did in the past,” he turned to him abruptly with an icy stare which made poor Steve jump. “But I do NOT give him permission to be with my seester! I remember what occurred in the library! He does not respect her enough!”

Steve began to splutter. “B-b-b-but Gunman!”

“If you ingrates are done whining about trivial problems, you can get back to looking for an _escape,”_ Gregory Mama sneered from another gateway Sarah hadn’t noticed until now.

It was to the left of the garden bed of herbs and pink flowers, and the area it opened up to was adjacent to the kitchen. Sarah peered at the dark area through squinted eyes. She could make out the outline of another locked gateway through the darkness. It was harder to see in the shadow of the building, hidden from the lamp post.

"Si, senorita,” Gunman nodded officially, dropping the argument and resuming the alpha male act. “This discussion can wait.”

“W-well, what’s through there?” Steve had also noticed Gregory Mama’s location and asked the question meekly.

“That old place?” Angel Dog put her hand on her hip and flicked her wand vaguely in its direction, leaving a shower of sparkles in it’s wake. “Not a thing. It’s probably there just to tease us.”

Sarah moved to Gregory Mama’s side and peered into the dark. They weren’t kidding. The enclosure was tiny; just an empty little alley with the kitchen to one side and the back walls of people’s rooms on the other. Directly opposite Sarah was indeed a locked gate, like she had guessed before. Behind it was a mountain of cardboard boxes, out of reach to anyone, even if they pressed their faces up against the bars.

“Well, there are these boxes,” Sarah shrugged.

“Yeah, but they’re not of use to anyone. Even if they were, they’re out of reach,” enticed by Angel Dog’s words, Gunman and Steve filled up the spaces left in the small doorway and looked for themselves. “So it really is just a tease.”

“A pathetic one at that,” Gregory Mama scowled before moving back to the roses. “This was _much_ more successful. So when are you two boys going to start fixing my roses?”

Steve and Gunman exchanged a nervous glance and Steve began to stammer uncontrollably.

"Er, s-senorita, w-we still have m-much left to e-explore,” Gunman feebly began.

To the rescue, Sarah stepped in their line of sight. “So they’ll come back to do it once we’ve checked out the other side of the garden. They’ll be here in no time flat.”

“Tch, they’d better be,” she tossed a lock of hair over her shoulder. “I’m certainly not using _these_ nails for gardening.”

"Well, tell us what you see over there, okay?” Angel Dog winked. “Good luck!”

“You too!” Sarah called back.

Steve finally stopped stammering and turned deep red, muttering an apology and farewell before shooting ahead into the centre of the garden and bowling over Roulette Boy. Sarah blinked in surprise before pursuing and Gunman soon joined her after a quick “adios, senoritas!” to the other girls.

Leaving Gunman to help up Steve, since she knew he’d never aid the little brat, Sarah hoisted the groaning child to his feet. “Are you okay, Roulette Boy?”

Roulette Boy shoved Sarah’s arm away and stomped his little feet. “Okay?! This dummy can’t even look where he’s going! Is his _brain_ okay?!”

Gunman dropped Steve’s hand, now that he too was standing once more, and turned deep red. “He just did not see where he was going! It was a simple mistake!”

A flurry of steps led Clock Master to join the circle. “I just woke up from my nap! What’s happening here?!” He looked distraught seeing Roulette Boy in such a troubled state and, Sarah guessed, was probably woken from his nap on the bench by the arguing.

“This loser ran me over!” Roulette Boy pointed accusatorily at Steve like he was telling the police to arrest him.

“It was an accident!” Steve and Gunman chorused, though Steve spoke with fear and Gunman with rage.

Clock Master placed a soothing hand on Roulette Boy’s shoulder and smile. “Not to worry, boy. He meant no harm. Forgive and forget, wouldn’t you say?”

“No! This butt is just as bad as Gunman! Dumb! Lazy! Blind!-”

“Now, now. Why don’t we go away from them, then? Head over to your room and I’ll be with you soon. Sound good?” Clock Master smiled warm-heartedly.

“Hmph. Fine, okay. I don’t wanna hang around them anyway. I’m gonna play a _great_ game myself!” Roulette Boy poked his tongue out at his enemies and ran out of the garden, eager to leave.

"I’m sorry boys; Roulette Boy will grow out of it someday, I hope,” Clock Master shrugged sympathetically.

“I hope so too! I don’t want any more enemies in this place!” Steve gripped his arms and look terrified, like a hunted rabbit.

Clock Master looked like he had had a revelation. “Speaking of this place, I have something to show the three of you!”

“You… do?” Sarah asked sceptically.

“Of course! It’s just around here!” Clock Master motioned the three to follow him and then lead them around the other side of the kitchen, past the sheds, to a strange red containment unit with a chute and bags of rubbish.

“Is this it, senor?” Gunman asked, scratching his head.

“Yes, it’s nothing major, but I thought it’s something we’d all overlook. It’s handy to know where Monoputa takes all our food scraps!”

“Is _that_ what stinks?” Steve held his nose and gagged.

"Hoho, most likely!” Clock Master smacked Steve on the back in what was probably meant to be a friendly gesture, but just made him shoot forward with the intense force. “If Monoputa took it all out of the house, there would be a chance we could follow him and leave, after all!”

Sarah studied the contraption before her, doing her best to block out the smell. The red chute went upward, into the air and the darkness. She couldn’t think of a single spot on the second floor that it might be connected to.

“Unless this chute leads outside?” Sarah approached it cautiously and curiously and stuck her head inside. It lead vertically up into inky black darkness.

“Sarah, you aren’t going up it, are you?” Steve probed fearfully.

She felt around along the walls and growled frustratedly. “There’s no foothold. Just when I thought we were getting somewhere! It’s impossible to scale something this steep!”

“It was a worthy attempt, senorita,” Gunman tried to calm down the irritated girl as she returned to the others. “There will be other ways to leave, I am sure.”

“Speaking of leaving, little Roulette Boy is probably waiting for me!” Clock Master gave them all a hearty smile as he started for the exit. “If you make any progress with that chute, I want to be the first to know! See you in a while!”

The three bidded their farewells to the clock as he passed through the squeaky steel door and out into the dimly lit hall. In the new silence, which Sarah tried to use to cool her jets, she could once again hear the two voices piping up from nearby.

“Do you two hear that?” Sarah decided to voice her concerns.

Gunman stroked his moustache in thought. “It sounds like my seester, I think.”

Steve instantly perked up. “It does?!” At a look from Gunman, he cleared his throat and tried to act casual. “I mean, it does? Where is it coming from?”

“There isn’t really anywhere else they could be but the shed, is there?” Sarah was still a liiittle ticked off and an irritated edge came across in her tone. “We’ve checked everywhere else.”

While Gunman stared concernedly, Steve seemed a little oblivious and lost in euphoria. “While we’re there, we can also get some gardening tools! Won’t that be great?!”

“Si,” Gunman smiled as he took the lead, guiding the others past the locked shed, to the larger one behind it. “It will be good to start work on the flowers as soon as possible. Don’t want to keep the senoritas waiting!” He laughed.

Sarah tilted her head in thought. _He keeps insisting he’s just doing it for the girls, but he drives it in so much it’s like he loves flowers himself. That’s probably why he likes Steve more now; it’s something they can share together._ Her thoughts disintegrated when Steve let out a wail.

“Wh-what made that?!” Steve backed up, pointing a finger at the words scrawled on the shed door by what looked like something ragged and harsh, like broken claws. The words read “GARDEN SHED” and, indeed, the voices were coming from behind those doors.

When Sarah spotted it, all her annoyance fled and she stepped back a little; a minor reaction compared to Gunman who shrieked as loud as Steve did and tried to hide his shaking knees.

“It’s gotta be a trick to scare us,” Sarah tried to even out her voice. “Monoputa’s trying to tease us again; make us scared and want to leave. He probably made those marks with some tool.”

“S-si, the senorita is right,” Gunman attempted to act calm. “We have not seen any monsters that could have made these marks, have we Steve?”

Steve gulped and nodded feebly, giving a half smile at his new friend.

“Monsters? Where?” Cactus Girl shoved open the shed door with one hand leaving the other at the ready on her lasso. Neko Zombie crept out of the shadows to stand a little ways behind her. “Brother, are you in trouble again?”

“No, dear seester, not at all!” Gunman smirked proudly, smoothly covering his previous panic.

“But Neko Zombie and I both heard you scream twice! Don’t lie to me, brother. Are you really alright?” Cactus Girl pressed on.

“He’s fine, Cactus Girl,” The ridiculousness of the terror enthralled by two simple words and Cactus Girl’s extreme worry made Sarah unable to hold in a giggle or two. “Both he _and_ Steve screamed when they saw the writing on the door.”

While Cactus Girl looked at Steve with the same concern as she did her brother, which made him blush and hide his face, Neko Zombie tottered to her side.

"That writing is mine.” Neko Zombie held up a paw and unsheathed his claws for emphasis. “I figured it would help everyone distinguish between the sheds at a glance and know which one is actually accessible,” he droned.

Sarah cracked a small smile. “That was really nice of you, Neko Zombie.”

Steve looked positively giddy. “Yeah, I don’t feel scared at all, now! I’ll think of you whenever I have to use the shed to get supplies for the roses.”

“Roses? What roses?” Cactus Girl blushed a little in embarrassment. “Neko Zombie and I were in the shed examining all the items for a long time.”

“Steve and I are fixing the dying flowers in the gardens over there,” Cactus Gunman pointed behind him. “Perhaps when we are done, you can visit them and see your brother is great at combat AND this. I have many skills, dear seester.”

“Roses are among those flowers. They’re my favourites,” Steve blushed and dragged his foot along the grass. He stopped when his brain finally connected two and two. “Oh! If you two have been looking through the shed, then could you please show us where the things we need are? That is, if it’s okay with you…”

“Can I ever! This way, Steve,” Cactus Girl delicately held out her hand to guide him in. “There’s rope, watering cans, trowels…”

Cactus Girl listed many more items as Steve grinned and took her hand passing by an interested Neko Zombie. Gunman narrowed his eyes in contempt and started to pursue them but Sarah grabbed his shoulder gently and at her touch, he froze and slowly met her eyes.

“We both know Steve’s not a bad guy; give him another chance with Cactus Girl,” Sarah encouraged the lovestruck cactus.

“B-but, senorita! You saw what happened in the library! He is like a different man around her! She needs a _loving_ person,” Cactus Gunman wouldn’t let this go.

"Is it really in Steve’s nature to be harsh and forceful to her?” Neko Zombie approached them with his rational mind in play. “He’s kind and thoughtful and would _never_ act so rash.”

"B-but! The library!”

“I don’t know what you saw, but maybe you misunderstood,” Neko Zombie stubbornly defended. “It wouldn’t surprise me…” he added under his breath.

_CRASH!_

“SEESTER!” Gunman charged to the doorway of the shed and looked inside frantically. After exchanging a worried glance with Neko Zombie, he and Sarah followed suit.

“Steve?” She tentatively called. “Are you alright?”

Steve groaned and held his head as he got up from under a pile of rakes and brooms. He and Gunman gasped simultaneously as they realised Cactus Girl, who had sat up first, was hunched over in pain.

“Seester! Are you alright?” Gunman skidded across the floor to his sibling’s side.

Steve was at her other side in the same space of time. “Where does it hurt? I can help?”

Cactus Girl scowled and clutched her stomach harder. “I do not need help! I can take care of myself!” She pulled her arm away to reveal three little puncture holes from the prongs of the rake in her wrist.

“Are you sure neither of you don’t want me to notify Catherine? Just to be on the safe side?” Sarah asked, ready to run if they asked.

“Oh, I’m fine, Sarah, thank you for asking!” Steve met Cactus Girl’s eyes and smiled. “And she says she’s fine so…”

“Si! I am one hundred percent!” Cactus Girl insisted in a way that even Sarah thought was a little cute. It didn’t surprise her when Steve’s face practically melted into a lovestruck expression.

“No seester! You are not! You are hurt and need something for it!” Gunman jumped in.

Cactus Girl pulled her hat down over her eyes. “Oh, brother! You are so embarrassing! I keep telling you, I am fine!”

“I believe you, Cactus Girl,” Steve got to his feet and offered his hand to help her up.

She peered out from underneath her hat and gaped at his hand for a second before blushing and pushing herself to her feet. “I can get up myself, Steve.”

“Right, sorry,” he rubbed the back of his neck. “Should we keep looking?”

As Cactus Girl nodded and returned to rummaging through the drawers and shelves with him, Gunman stood with his mouth agape struggling to comprehend Steve’s attitude and Cactus Girl’s blatant defiance and independence. Sarah smiled sympathetically and lead the dumbstruck cactus out by the hand. Upon passing Neko Zombie, the two heard a soft “told you” as they exited the doorway.

“I hate to say it, Gunman, but I think we’ve explored all we can here and there’s not one new lead to escape,” Sarah folded her arms. “Maybe we’d better go and relax before approaching this issue a little more, don’t you think?”

“I’m going to explore for myself… See what’s around with my own eyes…” Neko Zombie muttered as he headed for the rubbish area and the chute.

Sarah internally wished him luck and looked back at Gunman to see he was returning to his senses.

“Dios mio… My seester…” Sarah leaned forward and Gunman looked up at her. “Maybe… Steve is good enough for her. But she is too young! Too little to have a boyfriend!”

Sarah sighed and rolled her eyes. “Come on, Gunman. We need a little chill out time.”

She started for the door and after a few seconds of staring at the garden shed, Gunman raced to catch up to her.

“Perhaps you are right, senorita. I could use a drink about now,” Gunman looked to the floor and sighed. “Then to the flowers.”

 

_GHS_

 

A few hours later, Sarah was quietly reading in her room when the image of Gregory clutching his bleeding eye flashed through her mind. Once she was done shuddering at the memory, she realized that he was most likely well on his way to recovery.

_…I should probably check on him._ Sarah closed her book and let out a little sigh. _He’s kind of a creep, but he’s a person, just like the rest of us._

Before Sarah could change her mind, she found herself in front of the nurse’s office, and raised her fist to knock on the door.

Catherine promptly answered, wearing a big smile. Sarah took that as a good sign. “Sarah! So nice to see you. I assume you’re here to ask about Gregory?”

Sarah nodded. “Uh…” she lowered her voice to a whisper. “Did anyone else come to check on him?”

Catherine bit her lip. “Well… I asked his mother to, and she just went ‘Oh, I can’t bear to see my baby like that!’ which I don’t buy. She was calling him an idiot earlier.” Leaning a hip against a fist, she put her smile back on. “Gregory will be _very_ happy that at least _someone_ was worried. He kept whining at Hell’s Chef about his eye and Chef barely even flinched. Plus my care’s obligatory.” Catherine straightened her dress and leaned forward to whisper: “I’m still mad about the Bath Incident.”

_Catherine can hold a grudge with the best of them…_ Sarah almost giggled. _I think it’s about time I forgot mine. Gregory needs some encouraging words._

Sarah told Catherine that and she nodded in agreement. “Just be warned… I can’t imagine he’s in the best of moods.” Catherine let out a dramatic sigh. “He’ll never use that eye again!”

Catherine played it up like a big reveal, but Sarah could have figured that out. Anyone looking at Gregory could tell that his eye had popped like a grape.

“He’s resting behind the curtain,” Catherine nodded in the direction of the one and only bed in the nurse’s office. “Try not to upset him, sweetie. I’ll never hear the end of it.”

“You have my word,” Sarah vowed, a hand over her heart. She approached the curtain and tentatively brushed her fingers against it. “Gregory? It’s Sarah. How are you holding up?”

“Much better now,” Gregory’s voice came from behind the curtain. “Catherine’s very good at what she does.”

Catherine seemed happy with that compliment. “That’s the closest thing to a ‘thank you’ I’ve gotten all day!”

“I’m making progress, at least,” Gregory pushed the curtain aside and gave Sarah a crooked, pained smile. Half of his face was wrapped up in slightly bloodied gauze, his exposed eye droopy and tired. “It’s still hard to believe that this eye is unusable… it hasn’t clicked in my mind yet… and I felt it burst!”

Sarah’s stomach churned a bit. “I’m just glad you’ll live. The way you were screaming…”

Gregory’s one good eye widened. “I was _sure_ I was going to die! Things don’t always go the way you expect them to though, my dear friend. I learned a valuable lesson. I’m not indestructible.” Gregory smirked as he gently traced a finger over his bandages. “Everything happens for a reason, you see. I must have survived so I can serve a greater purpose, right?” Gregory snickered to himself. “I do feel like there’s something I’ve forgotten, after all. It’s been nagging at the back of my mind since I woke up here…” Upon saying that, Gregory’s eye glazed over and he gazed off into the distance. “I haven’t found any answers. Only more questions.”

“Not even in your reality video?” Sarah leaned forward with interest. She knew she was being nosy, but she wanted to know more about Gregory. She always found him to be sort of an enigma. He could go from mature and wise to childish and silly at the drop of a hat.

“… do you know what I saw in my reality video?” Gregory’s voice became level and serious as he fixed his good eye on Sarah. “Nothing but _static._ No answers. I don’t know where I came from; I only remember Mama and… James.” At the mention of his grandson’s name, Gregory averted his gaze from Sarah, his brow knitting with sorrow. “Nothing else. Not where I came from, not the rest of my family. I don’t even remember James’ _parents,_ Sarah. I must have had a child at some point, mustn’t I? But there’s no trace of them in my mind! Oh dear, oh dear…”

"What makes you think you can find clues _here,_ of all places?” Sarah threw a cursory glance over her shoulder and saw Catherine pretending to write something down, not even keeping her eyes on the paper, quite obviously listening in. Sarah didn’t really blame her.

"Remember that book your little friend Judgement Boy found a long time ago? _Gregory Exposed?_ Monoputa was in quite a rush to get it away from us, and I doubt he would have taken such measures if it wasn’t important. It even had my _name_ on the cover! No mistake; that book holds all the answers I’m looking for. Even if Monoputa got rid of it, there must be some other clues here…” Gregory stroked his chin in deep thought. Suddenly, he gasped a bit, his face turning a little red. “Er, sorry to go off like that. When you’re all alone in a hospital bed, you tend to get lost in thought.”

"Don’t worry about it, Gregory, you have every reason to worry!” Sarah realized she was using her psychologist voice. Considering the people around her, she was surprised she didn’t take this tone more often. “I’m sure we can find that book if we look for it! Where could Monoputa have hidden it?”

“Somewhere you’ll never find it!”

Sarah yelped as the Prompter himself slid out from under the bed and straightened himself up, brushing off his clothes before posing with his hands on his hips, oozing confidence.

Gregory only seemed mildly disturbed by Monoputa’s sudden arrival. “…how long were you under my bed?”

“I’m everywhere all the time!” Monoputa made an enormous gesture with his tiny arms. “You haven’t figured that out by now?”

“Tell them what you want and get out of my office,” Catherine had dropped what she was doing and was pointing one of her ridiculously tiny needles at Monoputa, scowling intensely.

“Don’t even think of hurting me, Cathy~” Monoputa stuck out his tongue at her. “You don’t want to end up like Poor Conductor, do you?”

Catherine instantaneously retracted the needle.

Monoputa turned back to Gregory, stabbing one of his little fingers at him. “You’re never, ever, ever, EVER gonna learn where you came from, old man! It’s for your own good!”

“… now I want to know even more,” Gregory smirked a little, snickering under his breath.

“Well, you won’t,” Monoputa said patronizingly, reaching up and patting Gregory’s leg through the sheets. “You living was dumb luck. If that thing nailed you in the forehead, all my problems would have been over!” Monoputa let out a big sigh, shaking his head. “At least you can actually look _at_ people instead of _around_ people now.”

"Don’t change the-” Gregory glared at Monoputa, but Monoputa held up a hand to silence him.

“Just don’t poke around and enjoy the life of mutual killing we have here at Monoputa House, okay? If you misstep, you’ll end up dead, you know!” Monoputa mimed slashing his throat. “Besides, if you find out… everything’s ruined…” he grumbled before heading back under Gregory’s bed.

“What?!” Gregory grabbed at Monoputa’s legs, but wound up with only a fistful of air. “God DAMN it!” Gregory slammed a fist into the wall. “That little…!”

“Calm down, Gregory!” Sarah held up her hands and took a couple steps back. “He’s-” She was about to say ‘all bark and no bite’, but after what happened to Poor Conductor, she knew very well that wasn’t true. “He’s… probably bluffing. He wants to discourage you. Monoputa might use your desire to discover your origins against you. He wants you to give in to this sick, twisted place…”

Gregory sighed and let his arms flop at his sides. “… you’re right. You’re right more often than not, my dear friend.”

“Now _that’s_ how to speak to a woman,” Catherine giggled from over her notes.

"I’m just glad I could help…” Sarah sighed in relief. “I get the feeling you’re more sensible than most people here, Gregory. Forgetting _past incidents…”_

"Don’t use that against me, Sarah. I am a man. Men are weak against the fairer sex…” Gregory held his hands over his heart. “Let sleeping dogs lie, my dear friend. It will do you no good to hold grudges in a situation like this. Can’t you have mercy on an old cripple?”

“You’re not _crippled,_ you’re _impaired,_ ” Catherine turned to glare at Gregory, tapping her pen on her notes.

Sarah sighed a bit. “… you’re right, Gregory. I’m sorry. If I find anything I think can help your situation, I’ll let you know.”

“You’re too generous, Sarah,” Gregory shook his head. “…but I won’t refuse the help. Thank you.”

“Someone’s gotta solve all the mysteries around here, might as well do my part,” Sarah shrugged, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. “Hopefully there won’t be another murder mystery to solve anytime soon…”

Gregory leaned the bandaged half of his face against his hand. “Don’t tempt fate, dear friend.”

“There _won’t_ be,” Sarah insisted. After giving Gregory and Catherine goodbyes, she headed out into the hallway, her chest feeling warm for some reason.

Everyone seemed to be getting along better than ever. Sarah had a good feeling that there would finally be peace in Monoputa House, and maybe, just maybe, she could find a way to escape the damned hotel with all of her friends following behind her.

_Friends, huh?_ Sarah had been terrified the first time she saw the group she was stuck with, but they really had grown on her. Sarah smiled to herself as she made her way to the library.

It was amazing to finally feel secure.

 

_GHS_

 

For two weeks, despair had left the inhabitants of Monoputa House to their own business. Two weeks of peace, friendship and union. For once, it seemed as though everyone got along with each other with very few qualms. After Gregory was well enough, and with the permission of nurse Catherine, he was swaggering about the hotel with his new eye patch as though the only thing that occurred was the loss of an irritating vocalist. Although, he seemed to be a bit more protective of his remaining eye.

These two weeks also lead to one other factor: Monoputa’s cockiness grew tenfold. So much even, that at night he would lie in the lobby, examining various papers, snickering and laughing into the night. He had been open about it too, not even trying to keep his voice down, as though he were daring anyone to jump out and face him as his laughter breached their walls. He knew they wouldn’t. They were too afraid to, or just didn’t want to.

But the insomniac cat Neko Zombie was a different story. It was a little past one in the morning when he crept out of his room, slinked by Sarah’s and ever so slowly eased open the door to the lobby. Dropping to all fours, he peered around the corner, towards the source of the laughter.

"Ahahaha! Oh, killing that one was _classic!”_ Monoputa hollered. “Ah, the old bat was nuts anyway! She was so annoyingly cryptic; what a relief she’s gone! …”

As Monoputa chuckled away, Neko Zombie snuck into the shadows by the staircase leading to the upper floor. He could get a clearer glimpse of what was going on.

"…And what a shame there are so few girls in this house! The way things go, that might lessen even more!” Monoputa dramatically placed a hand to his head. Neko Zombie could now see he was lying down on the couch, his head propped up on the arm rest. He was loosely flinging around a paper as he chattered away, and more papers were on the table beside him. “The _tragedy!_ I’ll _never_ see their _lovely faces_ again!”

As Monoputa tried his best to hold in laughter, Neko Zombie calculated his next move. _Those papers… They must hold something important. Monoputa wouldn’t put fake papers in the open like that - it’s more humiliating for us this way._ Neko Zombie tested the floorboard in front of him with his paw before putting his full weight on it. As Monoputa could no longer contain his laughter and howled into the night, Neko Zombie crept forward under a cloak of darkness.

"Oh who am I kidding?” Monoputa wiped away a tear of laughter and tried to regain his composure while Neko Zombie edged closer ever so slowly. “I’ll hardly miss any of those goody-two shoes’!”

Neko Zombie peered over at Monoputa who still had his eyes shut from laughter. He had crept out of the shadows now and was in plain sight. _Almost there._

“But that Devil Dog… It’ll be sad to cross her off, but more despair for me!”

He was at the table. He began to stretch up his paw to the papers.

Monoputa rolled onto his back and folded his legs. “But, of course, I could always-“

_SWIPE!_

_**“HEY!”** _

Neko Zombie had snagged the top sheet of paper on his claw, thrust it a corner into his mouth and pelted out of there at top speed on all fours. Monoputa only had time to rise to his feet before that cat was out of sight but he had had a clear look at the culprit, and he was _not_ happy.

“You mangy cat! What did you _do?!”_ He roared, shaking his fist at the shadows where he had disappeared.

With a gasp, Monoputa spun around to his pile of papers and sifted through them, taking a mental checklist of each one. When he had them all bunched up in his tiny hands, his eyes darted around for the last paper. Dropping every sheet with a huff, sending them flying in all directions, Monoputa was furious and frantic. His own glorious pride had exploded before his eyes at the hands of a _depressed cat_ of all things.

"That _bastard!_ He TOOK IT!I didn’t even get to finish it!” Monoputa pulled his hands down his face as realization struck. “He might _know!_ Ohhh, that bastard is going to PAY for this!”

As Neko Zombie’s ears caught the spite-filled words, he licked a paw and drew it over his forehead. He had nowhere to go, no reality worth returning to, so he might as well make the best of the one he was in now. He studied the paper in the dull light of his room and his eyes vaguely widened in surprise.

"Mrrroww… Well, this is interesting… Monoputa is going to be angry about this… I definitely can’t tell the others without risking their lives too. I need to be subtle and patient…” Broken light poured through the barred window and caressed Neko Zombie’s face. He looked out to the freedom he hoped the others could meet. “I need to do this right…

…Or we’ll all die.”

 

_GHS_

 

The first morning of the third week, Sarah was awoken by Cactus Gunman gently knocking on her door. After a big yawn, she quickly did her bedhead up in her usual ponytail and opened the door, promptly getting a rose shoved in her face.

"Guess what Steve and I fixed?” Cactus Gunman grinned at her from behind it.

“I take it you’re getting along better?” Sarah smirked at Cactus Gunman and he chuckled sheepishly.

“Perhaps… I was a bit too hasty in my judgement of him. But that’s not important now, senorita, this is for you,” Cactus Gunman took a step forward, practically pressing the rose against Sarah’s nose. “I have already trimmed the thorns.”

Sarah couldn’t help but blush at the gesture, but she couldn’t accept it. “I don’t have a vase… I can’t take care of it.”

“Nonsense,” Cactus Gunman moved closer to Sarah and slipped the rose into her ponytail elastic. “It would wilt eventually anyway; why not put it on display for the world to see?”

“That’s a good idea!” Sarah beamed at Gunman. “Thank you so much. I’ll keep it there.”

Sarah’s smile caused Gunman to lose quite a few brain cells, so he stood there with a doofy grin on his face, staring into her eyes, unblinking and not speaking.

“Um…” Sarah jostled his shoulder. “Gunman?”

“A-ANYWAY!” Cactus Gunman jumped away from her, pulling up his bandana to hide his rapidly reddening face. “I, uh, I have come here to request your help. I still not have set up my target practice area, you see, and I could use your expertise.”

Sarah folded her arms. “What expertise?”

Cactus Gunman slumped in defeat. “Just… assist me, senorita? I’d like to spend more time with you. We’ve barely seen each other these past two weeks…”

“You don’t need to beat around the bush,” Sarah lifted Gunman’s chin, touching him delicately so she wouldn’t get pricked. His face was overcome with a smile. “Let me get dressed. I’ll meet you outside.”

 

_GHS_

 

In the brief span of half an hour, with the aid of the paint found in the garden supply shed, Sarah and Gunman drew target rings on the wall on the side of the kitchen. That area next to the garden beds had no real use, so they took it upon themselves to make the best of the empty space and hope Hell’s Chef wouldn’t blow a fuse for vandalizing the outside wall of his precious kitchen.

“Make sure everyone knows about this before you use it,” Sarah warned Cactus Gunman shortly after they finished. “We don’t want them getting nervous when they hear gunshots.”

“You’re right…” Gunman seemed to be lost in a fog, examining the targets on the wall.

“Gunman… can I ask you something?” Sarah edged a little closer to him, one brow arched in curiosity.

“Si.”

“How do you say ‘are you okay’ in Spanish?”

“Estás bien. Why?”

“Well…” Sarah gave him a wan smile. “You’ve been kind of spaced out lately. ¿Estás bien?”

Cactus Gunman looked down at his hands. “Te quiero.”

“What’s that mean?” Sarah asked, tilting her head curiously.

Cactus Gunman blushed a bit, raising his head to look Sarah in the eye. “It means Chef should be starting breakfast right about now. Let’s head inside!”

Sarah was ninety nine percent sure that wasn’t what it meant, but she wasn’t going to argue with Gunman. They headed through the kitchen door to find Hell’s Chef up to his neck in pancake batter.

Hell’s Chef’s head swiveled to glare at them. “What are you doing in my-“

“J-just passing through!” Cactus Gunman gently pushed Sarah towards the door, but when they were halfway across the room, there was a brief whooshing sound and all of the candles went out.

“WAUGH!” Cactus Gunman yelped with surprise, grabbing Sarah in a choking hug. They were completely surrounded by palpable darkness, apart from Hell’s Chef’s candle giving off a faint light from over by the counter.

“UGH!” Hell’s Chef angrily threw down his spoon. “I got up at 4 AM to make all of these GODDAMNED PANCAKES, and now the power’s out!” Sarah could hear him banging his fists against the counter.

“I-isn’t this place lit by candles?” Sarah could feel Cactus Gunman shaking.

“THE STOVE WON’T WORK!” Hell’s Chef roared. “EVERYONE’S GOING TO GO HUNGRY!”

“Chef, calm down!” Sarah urged. “You too, Gunman! Monoputa probably turned off all the candles to scare all of us… I saw him turn a bunch on a while ago. I’m sure he can turn them off at will too.” Sarah heaved a sigh. “This is just what we need…”

“M-my seester… she could be in danger!” Releasing Sarah from his embrace, Cactus Gunman turned to Hell’s Chef’s glow in the darkness. “Please, senor, we need to make sure everyone is safe!”

“He’s right!” Sarah fixed Hell’s Chef with pleading eyes. “Chef, your wick is still lit! You’re probably the only light source in this whole hotel right now!”

“Nnngh…” They could see Hell’s Chef clutching at his head. “…breakfast is… not happening… I don’t have a choice…”

“You might save a life, senor,” Cactus Gunman nodded at Hell’s Chef. “Your help will not go unrecognised.”

After quickly shoving the pancake batter into the fridge, Hell’s Chef led the way to the door. Sarah and Cactus Gunman shared a nervous glance in the candlelight, unsure of what awaited them in the inky darkness of the hotel.


	17. Blackout

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _BLACKOUT FUN_   
>  _Art this go are by christmasgunman and shortlifelongart! They both did INCREDIBLE jobs, but what else is new? ;)_   
>  _I hope you guys enjoy the chapter! <3_

The trio exited through the garden door, the way Sarah and Gunman had originally come. Sarah made sure Hell’s Chef walked through each little section of said garden, much to Hell’s Chef’s frustration, to be positive there was not a single person within its depths. When it was established that the garden was as desolate as the void of Monoputa’s heart, Hell’s Chef led Cactus Gunman and Sarah into the darkened corridors, the former keeping a grip on the back of Chef’s coat, much to his irritation. Cactus Gunman was nervous that Hell’s Chef would take off without them and leave them to fend for themselves in the dark. With his other hand, he was grasping Sarah’s, lest the darkness swallow her up. The moment they set foot into the unforgiving hallway, a frightened wail pierced their eardrums.

Cactus Gunman instantly latched onto Sarah’s arm. “Wh-wh-what was that?!”

“I-I don’t know…” Sarah looked at him with a mix of fear and puzzlement. “But it sounds frightened.”

“Feh, it was this was this way,” Hell’s Chef walked forward a few paces to a door Sarah recognised as Clock Master’s. She and Gunman instantly rushed to catch up with the candle and Gunman subconsciously returned to his old formation.

As the wail struck again, Gunman held onto Hell’s Chef’s coat and Sarah’s hand harder. Sarah yelped and pulled away, giving him a glare.

“I-I am sorry senorita. But I think we should keep going!” Gunman looked at the door apprehensively, sticking his fingers on his free hand in his mouth.

Sarah placed her hands on her waist. “No, we have to check each room we come across.”

“Do we need to check _every_ room?” Hell’s Chef grumbled.

“ _Yes,_ "Sarah said, her voice stern. "We need to leave no stone unturned, Chef. Someone could be in serious trouble! Or at least alone and terrified. In fact, the person wailing probably is!”

Hell’s Chef, sick of Sarah’s bossiness, tried the door and it pushed easier than he had anticipated. His feeble candlelight illuminated the room before him and Sarah and Gunman craned their necks around his bulky figure. Before Sarah had a chance to process what was inside, a tiny figure rushed at the speed of light towards Hell’s Chef. In less than a second, it cannoned into him and he fell with a thump to the floor. Sarah’s jaw dropped when she realised this shape was Roulette Boy.

“Waaah! Don’t leave me alone in the stupid dark! I hate it!” He buried his face in Hell’s Chef’s shirt and his body shuddered.

“GET OFF ME!” Hell’s Chef shoved the child away and stoutly got his feet.

Roulette Boy thumped to the floor, landing on his butt. It took a second for him to process what occurred, but in no time flat, he was clinging to Hell’s Chef’s leg. Clock Master appeared at the doorway, smiling at the boy.

“NNNNGH! EVERYONE’S _TOUCHING_ ME!” Hell’s Chef stomped his feet, jerking Roulette Boy off of him.

“Stop moving! Hold still!” Roulette Boy demanded, stomping a foot.

Clock Master crouched down and petted him. “Now, now. You can cling to me if you wish, Roulette Boy. The dark doesn’t scare Clock Master.”

“But _you_ don’t have a light! _He_ does!” Roulette Boy pointed desperately at the tantruming Hell’s Chef. “And you couldn’t help me when I came to you first!”

“Er, guys?” At Sarah’s voice, everyone turned to look at her. She was getting more confident with all their attention. “We need to keep moving and make sure everyone is together and safe. I think Hell’s Chef is the only source of light which means the others are fumbling around in the dark. We have to keep moving.”

“She’s right, I do not want to spend any more time in one spot!” Gunman whimpered.

Suddenly, the sound of microphone feedback filled the hotel. Hell’s Chef groaned and clutched his head.

“Testing, testing!” Monoputa’s cheery, high pitched voice came over the intercom. “Ahh, finally got this damn thing working! Hello, my lovely charges! Enjoying the darkness?”

“Augh! This is why!” Gunman clung to Hell’s Chef and with a loud yell he was thrown to the floor.

“Every device and candle in this hotel is completely shut off, except for my intercom system, of course~” Monoputa giggled. “All of you are free to do what you please in the cover of darkness.”

After a five second pause, Monoputa added: “Kill each other. I want you to kill each other.”

“I know one of you’s been being a naughty little conspirator, I can see everything, after all! So all you bastards best watch your backs… If you can see them! Ahahahaha!”

As the intercom shut off, the companions looked at each other.

“That… was not true, was it?!” Gunman turned his head in all directions, his face panicked.

“He’s got to be lying,” Sarah rationalized, doing her best to inspire the group. “I mean, after all these weeks of peace, there’s no way a traitor would be among us.”

“If there is, they’re good,” Hell’s Chef grunted.

Clock Master walked up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Come now, be a bit more positive! We-”

“STOP! TOUCHING! MEEEE!” Hell’s Chef drew his giant cleaver and Clock Master instantly retracted his hand.

Gunman squealed with fright. “S-s-senor, p-please, drop the cl-cleaver!”

“Wow, he said something smart! It’s a miracle!” Roulette Boy giggled cheerfully.

Sarah rolled her eyes, well aware there was no time for Roulette Boy’s jokes when Hell’s Chef got like this. “Chef, calm down!” She urged. “The last thing we need is to start freaking out!”

“Nnnn…” He growled as he turned to face her.

“Really, if you’re going to fuss so much, I will not touch you from this moment on!” Clock Master vowed, then added under his breath. “At least, until you calm down…”

“But I want a piggy back ride!” Roulette Boy pouted. “Right next to the candle so I’m away from the dark!”

“Come now, Roulette Boy,” The frazzled Clock Master had a hint of wariness in his tone. “Perhaps it is best if we leave him to his own devices.”

Sarah swore she saw a glint in the child’s eye and a teeny smile on his face as he insisted, “I’m so afraid! I don’t think I wanna move unless I’m up there!” He pointed to Hell’s Chef’s bulky shoulders with his fragile, red finger, his lower lip trembling as he pouted.

However frustrated Sarah was with Roulette Boy egging on Hell’s Chef, she knew any resistance was futile, especially in such a dire situation. She silently wished she had Angel Dog’s skills of negotiation.

“Hell’s Chef, someone could be in danger right now! Just let Roulette Boy ride on your shoulders. We can’t afford to be wasting time!” Sarah did her best to sound firm, but not too loud. The last thing she wanted was to have Chef’s cleaver pointed in her face.

Hell’s Chef let out an enormous sigh, but he sheathed his knife and crouched down. “If you’re loud, I’ll throw you off.”

“WOO-HOO!” Roulette Boy jumped enthusiastically before climbing onto Chef’s shoulders, laughing all the while. Cactus Gunman found himself hoping Roulette Boy would get thrown off of Chef. Preferably into a wall. Hard. So he gets just enough brain damage to never, ever speak again.

Cactus Gunman was broken out of his thoughts by Sarah asking: “What are you smiling about?”

“N-nothing. Shall we keep on searching?” Cactus Gunman shot the group a nervous grin.

“Nngh,” Chef made a vaguely affirmative noise as he straightened up, Roulette Boy giggling and grabbing two fistfuls of Hell’s Chef’s jacket. With that, they continued down the darkened corridor, squinting in the dim light as they checked the rooms they passed.

The group soon reached the wall and Sarah asked Hell’s Chef to peer inside the storeroom. The candleman groaned and waddled over, leaving her and Gunman in dim light. The cactus held her arm.

With what seemed like little effort, Hell’s Chef pushed open the door slightly and almost immediately slammed it shut again. Sarah was perplexed, to say the least.

“Hey, no fair! I didn’t get to see inside!” Roulette Boy wailed causing Gunman to grate his teeth. “Your dumb candle was in the way!”

“Hell’s Chef, what was in there?” Sarah probed. Hell’s Chef turned around to the questioning girl, his face a little red. He drew up his collar.

“Nothing. The breeze was unexpected,” his eyes darted from place to place.

Clock Master tilted his head, not one hundred percent convinced. “Are you sure?”

Hell’s Chef turned around and resumed his walk down the hall, expecting the others to keep in tow. “Yes…”

“Uh…huh,” Sarah glanced at Gunman and shrugged it off. “Well, let’s keep looking.”

The rooms that followed all belonged to either one of the group or a dead housemate, minus Angel Dog’s room; but after repeated knocks, it was established she was lost elsewhere in the hotel’s depths. They didn’t have to wonder where she was for long, for as soon as Hell’s Chef opened the door to the T.V. Lounge, he and his companions were accosted by a light that was twice as radiant as Hell’s Chef’s candle.

“Angel?” Hell’s Chef blinked, squinting at the sudden brightness and shielding his face.

“Chef!” No mistake, it was Angel Dog. She flew over to them and Sarah could plainly see that her fur was matted with sweat. “Oh, the lights went off and I was so terrified I could barely move! I was worried Devil Dog would come out of me and terrorize everyone, but I fought her off!” Angel Dog posed triumphantly.

“Good work, senorita!” Cactus Gunman leaned around Hell’s Chef’s hulking frame to beam at Angel Dog. “No offense, but the last thing we need is her right now…”

“We could use _you_ though!” Sarah pointed to Angel Dog’s wand. “Your wand’s a great source of light! We’re trying to find everyone… I don’t think we should split up, though, a lot of things can happen in the dark…”

Cactus Gunman shuddered at the thought. “L-let’s not think about that…”

“I fullheartedly agree, Sarah,” Angel Dog winked at her. “It’s a relief to see all of you safe.” Her gaze swept across the group, lingering on Hell’s Chef just a moment longer than the others. “Playing babysitter, Chef? I never took you as the fatherly type.”

“Shut up,” Hell’s Chef grumbled, folding his arms.

“Have you found anyone else?” Angel Dog knew not to bug Chef more than she needed to.

“No! There are still people missing!” A shadow crossed Roulette Boy’s face as he smirked. “Someone could be dea-MMPH!”

Hell’s Chef raised a hand up and clapped it over the child’s mouth… or, at least that’s what he tried to do. His hand was so enormous it completely covered Roulette Boy’s entire face, nearly causing him to lose his balance and tumble off Hell’s Chef’s shoulders.

“We should hurry,” Clock Master looked at Roulette Boy with his brow furrowed. “Time’s wasting.” One of the hands of his mustache ticked and Sarah couldn’t help but wonder if he did that for emphasis.

“Oh! I think I have a lead!” Angel Dog raised her wand in the air, a huge smile on her pretty face. “Well, sort of a lead. Catherine should be in her office, right? She’s been spending an awful amount of time in there lately.”

“We can take the staircase in the lobby and check if anyone’s in there at the same time,” Sarah suggested. “The farthest staircase would be more practical since it’s closer to her office.”

“No one is probably in the bar anyway,” Gunman agreed with a hint of a smile, following Hell’s Chef with the others as he took off again. “Clock Master and I are the main regulars.”

“Ha, we’re the ONLY regulars!” Clock Master let out an enormous belly laugh. “Apart from those two occasions where Devil Dog joined us.”

“Ugh…” Angel Dog hugged herself as she flew along. “I can only imagine what that shrew is doing to my poor liver…”

“Don’t worry; she will _never_ drink with us again,” Cactus Gunman slammed a fist into his palm.

“Last time she tried that, she tried to break a bottle over Gunman’s head for no reason other than she ‘thought it would be hilarious.’” Clock Master sighed and shrugged. “We push a table in front of the door whenever we drink now.”

“Oh my gosh,” Angel Dog covered her mouth with her wandless hand. “I’m so sor-”

“It’s not your fault,” Hell’s Chef cut in. “You’re not her.”

Angel Dog gave him a grateful smile as they entered the lobby. Their good humoured talk ceased as the companions filed in; the vast, dark expanse sapping at their goodwill and draining away the lighthearted tone. Nothing stirred in the stillness.

“Hello? Anyone there?” Angel Dog fluttered around the room leaving the others to flock around Hell’s Chef, much to his discomfort. She shone her wand under the table and behind the counter. “We won’t hurt you, we’re just trying to gather everyone - we swear!”

More silence. Angel Dog sighed and looked to the others.

“No one’s here,” Hell’s Chef muttered. He started for the stairs. “We’re going.”

“Wait!” All eyes turned to Sarah, the only one who hadn’t budged. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, and I don’t want to believe it, but all of us should fan out and check every inch of the lobby, in case we overlooked a…” Her throat closed up.

“A dead body! Hehehahaha!” Roulette Boy was not the least bit hesitant, even finding the situation humorous. “The dark will hide their corpse for sure!”

“No corpse!” An unwelcome voice rang out. Cactus Gunman froze, his eyes moving to the source of the voice. Much to his displeasure, Monoputa had decided to pop up behind him, peering around his leg and grinning up at the rest of the group. “Not _here,_ anyway!”

Cactus Gunman almost reflexively kicked Monoputa, but remembering what happened to Poor Conductor, stopped himself and let the sadistic little Prompter hang onto him.

At everyone’s gasps, Monoputa burst into obnoxious laughter. “Oh MAN, your faces! I’m just kidding! Maybe!” He hopped away from Cactus Gunman to pose in front of the group, winking. “Disappointed to see you all getting along so well. I was hoping for more fighting in the dark!”

“Monoputa, we’re all adults here!” Sarah insisted with a glare.

“Speak for yourself, lady,” Roulette Boy giggled from his perch.

“We’re not going to let something as silly as darkness get in our way!” Angel Dog waved her wand, causing a rain of sparkles to pour down on Cactus Gunman’s hat. “Especially since we have so much illumination thanks to me and Chef~”

“Yeah, about that…” Monoputa backed up several steps, prompting Sarah to raise an eyebrow. Suddenly, he leaned forward and took off at top speed, leaping into the air and yanking Angel Dog’s wand right from her hand. “YOINK!”

“HEY!” Angel Dog whirled around, but Monoputa took off down the hallway at an impressive speed that none of them could hope to match.

“RAAAAAAAAAARGH!” Hell’s Chef started after Monoputa anyway, Roulette Boy shouting with joy as he was dragged along for the ride.

“CHEF! CHEF! NO!” Angel Dog flew after him, grabbing him by the back of his shirt just before he bolted out the door. “Don’t go after him! You’ll leave us all alone in the dark, and Monoputa might blow you out! We wouldn’t have anything to light you back up, and we’d be in trouble!”

Hell’s Chef froze and sighed heavily. “… yeah.”

“Aww… I wanted him to chase Monoputa…” Roulette Boy pouted.

“She’s a miracle worker…” Cactus Gunman whispered to Clock Master and Sarah.

Sarah nodded, hoping to one day attain Angel Dog’s level of skill if she was ever going to be a psychologist.

“As much as I love standing in the dark, we should get moving,” Clock Master grinned as he added. “And not just because I want to get closer to the bar, mind you.”

Angel Dog pulled herself together and swung into leadership mode. “You’re right, we need to keep to that lead I mentioned! Hopefully Catherine hasn’t gone wandering off.” She swung around to Hell’s Chef and flicked her wrist like she normally would when her wand was in her grasp. She briefly pulled a sad face before continuing. “We should let our source of light guide the way. Care to lead us, Chef?”

Hell’s Chef shrugged, which caused Roulette Boy to nearly lose his balance. “I don’t have a choice.”

“Hey! You better watch it next time!” Roulette Boy scowled, clinging as tight as he could to the candle. His hands quivered at the thought of falling off.

Everyone in the group chose to ignore Roulette Boy’s whining and they headed off towards the staircase. Sarah couldn’t help but be relieved that there weren’t any dead bodies to be found in the lobby. Hopefully there wouldn’t be any bodies to find at all…

She found herself taking Gunman’s arm in the dark. She figured he needed the support as much as she did. The companions reached the second floor and rounded the corner. Peering over her shoulder, Sarah could just make out Angel Dog’s figure in the rear, making sure no one fell behind. She felt a little more comforted and secure.

Sarah snapped back into focus as the group passed a door. “Wait!”

Hell’s Chef slammed on the brakes and Roulette Boy’s spinner whacked the candle. Clock Master only just stopped himself from making the traffic jam worse and bowling the both of them over.

Angel Dog fluttered to Sarah’s other side. “What’s the matter, Sarah?”

“We should probably make sure no one’s in the gym. I know we’ve taken a bit of a detour already with Monoputa but…” She untwined her arm from Gunman’s and rubbed the back of her neck. “There’s always a chance someone could be in there.”

“Like you said earlier, 'leave no stone unturned…’” Cactus Gunman nodded understandingly. “Maybe my seester will be in there!”

“All the more reason to check!” Clock Master moved forward and opened the door. Everyone looked at Hell’s Chef expectantly and he sighed and moved into the gym, shedding his light on everything possible.

“Nothing! Laaaaaaaame,” Roulette Boy blew a raspberry.

“Do you _want_ someone to turn up dead?” Hell’s Chef asked as he made his way back to the group.

Chef got nothing but a snicker in response. A chill wracked his spine; that kid really rubbed him the wrong way.

“Roulette Boy, I think it would be best if you didn’t make those jokes just now,” Clock Master tried his best to appease him.

He sighed. “Alright… Then let’s go see that stinky lizard! Mush!” Roulette Boy whacked Hell’s Chef’s back with his teensy hand and pointed forward. Hell’s Chef squinted and waddled forward, suppressing his conflicting emotions.

Sarah sighed, smiling, despite the situation being far from positive. Tenderly looping her arm around Gunman’s, the two exchanging a small glance before moving after the leader of the pack.

As soon as they approached the door to the nurse’s office, it swung open, revealing a hysterical Catherine.

“AHH, I was beginning to think that no one would come here!” Catherine threw herself into Hell’s Chef’s arms and he made a noise like a very angry cow giving birth. “I didn’t _dare_ roam the hallways alone! Who knows what kind of _monster_ could be skulking around here?!”

Hell’s Chef not-so-gently shoved her off of him and she shot him a glare, smoothing her uniform.

“Did you hear anyone else walking around, Catherine?” Angel Dog asked, tilting her head questioningly.

“I’m glad you asked, Angel Dog. Although what I heard wasn’t exactly walking,” Catherine cleared her throat and began to weave her tale. “At first, it was silent. They say when you lose one sense, the others become enhanced. I don’t know if that’s the case here, but after a while, I began hearing noises from the floor below. Honestly, I don’t know what it was - it sounded angry. I thought Monoputa may have unleashed a monster in the dark! I think it might still be going. Here.” Catherine lead the others into her office and knelt down. “Listen through the floorboards.”

Everyone exchanged a few glances filled with apprehension. Sarah and Clock Master were the ones to lean down and put Catherine’s statement to the test.

The rotten wood was cold and damp on Sarah’s ear, sending a shiver down her back. Sarah squeezed her eyes shut, and in the perfect silence, she could understand what Catherine had been saying. The noise was muffled and distant but undeniably in a rage. Sarah’s eyes snapped open when she heard a wail in response.

She shot up and whirled around to Clock Master and Catherine so fast her head spun.

“Did you…?” Clock Master began.

Catherine nodded. “I heard that before too. I think something or someone is being tormented by some _beast_ down there!”

“A beast?” Roulette Boy echoed. He giggled sinisterly. “Some loser’s gonna get it!”

Cactus Gunman whined and pulled down the sides of his hat. “Someone please tell me what is going on! A _BEAST?!”_

Sarah took some deep breaths to try to slow her heart rate. _You need to think rationally about this. Don’t panic,_ _don’t_ _panic._ Despite her efforts, paranoia washed over her and she shoved her ear to the floor again.

“It-it can’t really be a beast, I’m sure,” Angel Dog looked to Gunman.

“Guys…” Sarah murmured, somehow grabbing the attention of the room. “It…stopped.”

“Completely?” Clock Master said so quietly that his lips barely moved.

After a few more seconds of breath-holding and intent listening, Sarah swallowed and nodded.

“I don’t want to alarm anyone, but…” Angel Dog bit her lip, her eyes flitting around the barely illuminated group. “…could we have overheard… a… a…”

“Murder!” Roulette Boy chimed a little too happily. “There’s nothing else it could have been!”

“Don’t say that!” Angel Dog scolded, waving a finger in Roulette Boy’s face. “It… it could have just been an argument!”

“Whatever it was, it’s worth investigating!” Catherine looked over at the shaking Gunman and rolled her eyes. “Don’t be such a coward, Cactus Gunman. There’s safety in numbers.”

“It’s not that!” Cactus Gunman turned his pleading eyes onto Sarah. “Tell me, senorita, did the person being assaulted sound anything like my seester?!”

“It was hard to hear who it was through the floorboards…” Sarah admitted, causing Gunman to pale. “…but I could at least tell the voice was male.”

Cactus Gunman let out an enormous sigh of relief.

“It must be Gregory or Steve…” Catherine mused. “That Neko Zombie doesn’t sound the slightest bit like a man. Sorry, but it’s true!” With a small shrug, she headed towards the door to the nurse’s office. She held it open and made a sweeping gesture to Hell’s Chef. “Handsome men first.”

When Cactus Gunman took a step forward, Catherine narrowed her eyes at him. “I meant Chef.”

Cactus Gunman turned a cherry red that was even visible in the darkness. Hell’s Chef grunted and headed out the door, the rest of the group trudging behind him.

“It’s okay,” Sarah could hear Clock Master consoling Cactus Gunman at the back of the pack. “I’m ugly too.”

Sarah couldn’t help sniggering and slowed her pace to join them. “That’s just Catherine’s opinion anyway. You guys definitely are _not_ ugly in my eyes.”

Cactus Gunman turned and even deeper red and lowered his face while Clock Master laughed loudly. “Oh Sarah, always helping out the group. I know I’m ugly; I’m an old man!” Clock Master ruffled Sarah’s hair. “But I have a son and apparently a wife who I’m sure loves me regardless!”

Sarah smiled at him, a ray of hope in an unforgiving darkness. “You definitely have your priorities straight, Clock Master. I wish more people were as strong as you.”

“I certainly don’t have much willpower,” Clock Master joked as the group reached the end of the hall and began to descend the stairs. “If more people were like me, we would certainly have a drinking problem on our hands! Not to mention the bar would almost always be out of stock!”

“Hey,” Hell’s Chef, who had stopped at the bottom of the staircase with the others. “Focus. There might be a murderer here.”

Angel Dog nodded affirmatively. “Yeah, so be on your guard, okay everyone? Now where haven’t we looked yet?”

Sarah exchanged a glance with Gunman. “Er, the library and any rooms on this side of the floor.”

“Then what are we waiting for?” Roulette Boy grinned, peering around Hell’s Chef. “Let’s see who died~!”

After much reprimanding of Roulette Boy, they turned to the left and proceeded to approach the library. When they came up to the door, they saw that it was ajar. Cactus Gunman and Sarah shared a look of concern as Hell’s Chef opened the door.

“Over there!”

The entire party did a one hundred and eighty degree turn, stunned by the new voice. Even more stunned that it came from the hallway behind them! After hearing the pitter-patter of running feet, four figures came into view.

“Oh, thank _goodness!”_ Gregory sighed happily. “A source of light! Heaven knows what would have happened had we stayed in the dark any longer…”

“Do you have to talk about that?” Steve took a step back.

Gregory Mama arrogantly blew a strand of hair off her face. “Honestly, you two are such cowards.”

Cactus Girl was the only one with the sense to explain the original seven, whose faces were warped into looks of relief and shock, how they arrived. “We all met up in the library after we heard Gregory Mama yelling at Gregory and followed the noise to them. We tried to look for you, but we didn’t get far down the hall until I saw your light, Hell’s Chef.”

“That was noble of you, but irrational too,” Catherine chided. “You lot should know better than to go wandering in dark! It’s _very_ dangerous, even in numbers!”

“Wait, so that angry noise we heard _wasn’t_ someone dying, it was just Gregory Mama giving Gregory an earful!” Roulette Boy frowned. “Not as good, but it’s still funny!”

Gregory grunted as he adjusted his eyepatch strap. “Well, I beg to differ!”

As Gregory burst into a gripe-filled rant about his mother’s lecture, Cactus Girl rushed up to her brother and pulled him into an enormous hug.

“Brother! I was _so_ worried about you!” she exclaimed into his poncho.

“I was worried as well,” Cactus Gunman closed his eyes happily as he pulled his sister closer. “Where have you been hiding, seester?”

Cactus Girl spluttered for a millisecond before wrenching out of her befuddled brother’s arms and turning to Gregory. “Hey! Don’t you start another fight with your mother!”

“She has a point…” Gregory Mama flipped her hair, being careful to not disturb the gorgeous rose she had specially placed in front of one of her ears. “If you make me angry again, _sweetie,_ you just might lose your other eye!”

Gregory turned white. “Please don’t joke like that, Mama!”

“Uh, s-sorry to interrupt, but…” Steve looked at all their faces frantically. “Have you guys seen Neko Zombie?”

“Er, we have not come across him,” Cactus Gunman admitted, beads of sweat forming on his nervous face.

Steve squealed and held his fists up to his face. “He can’t be-”

“We shouldn’t panic, he might just-” Angel Dog broke off suddenly as Steve bolted down the corridor into the darkness. _“Steve!”_

As fast as lightning, Chef weaved through the masses and charged after the lanky boy at top speed. Roulette Boy wailed as loud as he could as he was thrown right off the large candle man, landing with a _THUNK!_ on the hard wooden floor. Steve didn’t stop for a second until a sneaky floorboard tripped him up, giving him a serious carpet burn as he skidded to a stop on his chest. Hearing Chef thundering up behind him, Steve did his best to scramble to his feet, but before he could he found himself being lifted into the air.

“IDIOT!” Hell’s Chef boomed into Steve’s ear. “DON’T RUN-OOF!”

Chef was caught completely off guard when the tearful Steve reflexively kicked him in the stomach. Chef’s grip loosened and Steve dropped to the floor, continuing his sprint to Neko Zombie’s room.

“We can’t stop him!” Angel Dog grabbed Hell’s Chef by the back of his collar before he could take off after Steve again.

“Doesn’t mean we can’t follow him!” Sarah exclaimed as she hurried to catch up.

Everyone rushed after Steve, who had adrenaline pumping through his brain and down to his long, lanky legs. Tears streamed down his face as he blazed through the darkness towards Neko Zombie’s room. Neko Zombie couldn’t be dead! Steve would open the door and see Neko Zombie there, miserable, but alive. He knew it. He _knew_ it!

Steve finally reached Neko Zombie’s cold metal door and swung it open without waiting a single second. The rest of the group caught up with Steve just in time to see him gasp and fall to his knees, hanging his head, tears falling onto his jeans.

“No…” Sarah breathed, her heart falling into her stomach. “No, no, no…”

She knew, though. She knew as soon as she saw Steve.

She found herself walking up behind him and pulling him into a tight hug. Steve wailed and covered his face, soaking his hands.

Sarah really, really didn’t want to, but she found herself looking up. There she saw what made Steve crumple and collapse, what she had been try to desperately to avoid. Neko Zombie’s lifeless body hung limply from a rope around his neck. It was tied to one of the black bars in his window. The poor cat was a few feet off the ground with a bag of mulch knocked over beneath his feet. Sarah didn’t want to look at Neko Zombie’s face, but her eyes wouldn’t stop gorging on the hideous sight before her.

His eyes were dull, unseeing, lifeless. Despite being stitched up, his mouth hung open as much as it could and drool was washing out from the gaps between the threads. He was like a ragdoll, his limbs loose and frail, swaying a little in the breeze moaning through his window.

A long, cold silence hung over the group for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, Steve mumbled something that was barely audible.

“What…?” Sarah asked, releasing Steve from her embrace.

“Get him DOWN!” Steve demanded, his eyes watering. “I don’t want to leave him up there!”

Hell’s Chef strolled into the room, unsheathed his cleaver, and cut the rope. Steve darted forward and caught Neko Zombie’s body to the best of his ability.

“Neko Zombie… I can’t believe this…” Steve cradled Neko Zombie’s head in his arms, his body heaving with sobs. “Neko Zombie… Neko Zombie…!” Steve kept repeating his fallen friend’s name as he cried.

Chills settled in everyone’s stomachs. They knew what was coming next.

In just a few hours, everyone’s lives would be on the line.

_Despair is on the horizon; can our lucky streak hold up?_


	18. Eyes Like Eagles

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Are we really almost at twenty chapters? Holy moley._   
>  _Here’s the investigation! Art is by the lovelies Lizzie and Lizzy, so direct lots of love their way~_   
>  _I hope you guys like this! It’s a humdinger but MAN Ven and I are proud of it! Have fun reading and enjoy, and make sure to let us know what you thought <3_

Steve’s anguished wails were interrupted by the one voice no one wanted to hear. Sarah clenched her fists with pain.

“Attention, attention, all my charges!” Monoputa chirped happily over the loudspeaker. “Just in case you’re too blind to see,” the candles of the hotel flicked on as fast as one could snap a finger. “A body has been discovered! After a brief period of investigation a trial will commence! Heheheheh, who’s our killer in the dark? That’s for you lot to find out!”

If anyone held any hope that Neko Zombie had survived the hanging, it had been smashed to smithereens. Steve held Neko Zombie’s body tighter.

“Aaaand hello, you bastards!” Monoputa sprung into the room, pushing his way past the awestruck crowd and stealing their attention. “Looks like kitty here kicked the bucket! About time, the nosy brat. He sure was a downer, so you should be _muuuuuch_ happier without him!”

“He never did anything anyway,” Roulette Boy shrugged indifferently. “Except mope in his room. We won’t even notice the difference around the place, hehehe!”

Steve’s head shot up and he glared at the two through puffy red eyes. He opened his mouth to rebuke, but his face of rage shattered and he broke down into sobs once more.

“Shut your mouth, mocoso!” Cactus Girl sneered at Roulette Boy, doing her best to help Steve, despite her sensing he wanted to be left alone. “Someone like you could never understand the torment he is feeling! You have no right to jest at him now!”

“I have _every_ right! You’re not my mom!” Roulette Boy pulled a face and blew a raspberry. He then shot into his sincere act, “and I wouldn’t know because I don’t make friends with losers, hehe!”

“Roulette Boy, I think you need a time out!” Angel Dog scolded him, wagging a finger.

Monoputa giggled behind his hands as he watched the chaos and the seeds of unrest grow. “As much as I love watching you idiots fight, I have business to sort out.” He trotted up to Roulette Boy and shoved his face too close to the child’s. Roulette Boy instantly burst into a frown. “So PIPE DOWN, you ugly little brat!”

Roulette Boy sunk low and covered his ears. He opened his teeny mouth to make a spiteful comeback, but Clock Master rushed up and covered his mouth with his hand.

“He understands, believe me.” Beads of sweat trickled down Clock Master’s face. “Don’t you, Roulette Boy?”

Sarah was surprised to see the child comply and nod his head, even if he did do it with a scowl. Perhaps he did hold a level of “respect” for Clock Master, if it could be called that.

Monoputa’s shoulder’s relaxed. “Alright, nice to see you bastards comply for once.” His eyes gleamed maliciously, “Angel Dork, heads up!” Winding his arm back for a powerful throw, he hurled something her way.

“Huh? Oof!” Angel Dog rubbed her head tenderly, nursing the spot which was probably going to leave a bruise. She looked down and realised the object thrown was in fact her wand. Gasping, she picked it up and held it gingerly. “Oh, it’s about time I got this back!”

“Well now that keeping it doesn’t make everything deliciously hard for you, I don’t need that ugly glowstick,” Monoputa sneered.

Angel Dog looked outraged. “Ugly?!”

“Shush, I’m trying to get through all the stuff that YOU need! Stop talking for once!” He grinned cheekily and continued. “Now, this is one of my favourite parts! Dadadadaaa~” He pulled out old files marked ‘Monoputa File 3’. “The next Monoputa File! Read it, begin to accuse and watch the fireworks fly!” His arms shot up and wobbled on the way down, in mimicry of fireworks. Surprisingly, not a single paper fell from the files. “Don’t forget your evidence bags!”

He chest-passed the first file and evidence bag to Angel Dog and waggled his eyebrows before going to each person individually. Apprehension rushed through Sarah’s chest as the items met her fingertips. _I don’t want to do this. I know we have to find Neko Zombie’s killer, but I can’t condemn another one of us to death! But getting it wrong will mean doom for us all!_

Cutting into her confusion, Sarah heard a cold voice at the back of her mind say: _What’s one life against so many others?_

Sarah felt her heart sink into her stomach. The thought was cruel, but she knew it was true. This case wouldn’t end with everyone intact.

_Besides,_ Sarah glanced at the tearful Steve as she bit her lip. _I know he won’t rest until Neko Zombie’s killer is brought to justice. We have to do this, for Neko Zombie’s memory_ _and_ _for Steve’s well-being._

Monoputa cleared his throat extremely loudly, and everyone instantaneously stopped murmuring and examining their new possessions to focus on him. “WHELP, this is where I leave you. I’d say I wish you the best, but who would I be kidding?! So I’ll be blunt and say I wish you boundless despair! Heheheh~ Sayonara, suckers!”

Jumping into the air and clicking his heels, Monoputa took off as quickly as he had arrived.

“Before we split up…” Catherine tentatively approached Steve, who hadn’t let go of Neko Zombie. “…I need to examine the body.”

Steve reflexively held Neko Zombie closer and Catherine let out a drawn out sigh, shaking her head. “Steve, if you don’t let me look, we’ll never figure this out!”

“O-okay, but don’t hurt him…” When Catherine crouched down to get on Steve’s level, Steve gently handed the body over, sniffling. Catherine didn’t have the heart to tell him Neko Zombie couldn’t feel pain anymore.

“Hold, amigos!” Now that the light had returned, Cactus Gunman could see the condition of Neko Zombie’s room more clearly. “That bag of mulch… it is right below where Neko Zombie was hanging, no?”

“You’re right…!” Gregory Mama’s eyes widened in realization. “Could this have been… a suicide?”

“Wh-what?!” Steve’s eyes welled up with even more tears.

“I-I hate to say it, senor, but…” Cactus Gunman looked at the scene of the crime, his brow furrowed. “…it certainly looks that way.”

“That cat was the most depressed out of all of us…” Gregory shrugged, as if the statement came easily to him. “Frankly, it doesn’t surprise me that he chose the easy way out.”

“No! No, you’re wrong!” Steve yelled, clenching his fists. “I w-won’t believe it! Neko Zombie would never do that!”

“What makes you so confident, dearie?” Gregory Mama folded her arms and stuck out a hip. “You didn’t know what was going on his head. He could have been planning this for a long, long time.”

“He… he told me that…” Sarah wrung her hands. “… he had suicidal thoughts a few weeks ago, but he said he wouldn’t go through with it!”

“The mind is a tricky thing, my dear friend,” Gregory stroked his chin. “So much time has passed… his beliefs could have changed.” He finished with another of his infamously creepy laughs.

Steve’s bottom lip quivered as he struggled against everyone’s overwhelming facts. “N-no! No no no no no…” He leaned over and pressed his face into Neko Zombie’s cold furk, repeating those words as though that would make his friend’s fate true.

“Steve, I can’t examine the body if you do that,” Catherine huffed as she gently pushed Steve away from his fallen friend. She resumed struggling to undo the noose around Neko Zombie’s neck. “Cactus Girl, can you please _keep_ him away?”

Cactus Girl nodded and helped him up, leading him further away than before. “Don’t jump to conclusions!” She glared at her brother, holding Steve’s wrist defensively. “I figured you’d be past that, big brother!”

“I-I thought I discovered something important! I was trying to help!” Cactus Gunman held up his hands and backed up a few steps.

Sighing, Cactus Girl pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration. “Apologies, I’m a bit on edge. I had hoped there would be no more murders…”

“You raise a good point, though!” Clock Master jumped in. “We can’t cross either option off the list just yet. We should investigate first.”

“Thank goodness Monoputa turned the lights back on…” Sarah sighed and Angel Dog paled.

“D-don’t give him ideas now, Sarah!” she urged.

“Oh God, you’re right…” Sarah turned a bit white herself. “Let’s not dwell on that, though. We have a mystery to solve! Everyone split up and search this place, top to bottom! Even if this was a…” Sarah looked at Steve and couldn’t bear to say the word. “… you know… we should at least make sure it wasn’t a murder. We can’t rule out that possibility. If we don’t get the answer right…”

“… we know what will happen, Sarah,” Gregory huffed. “Frankly, I could work a lot better without you reminding me of that… _horrible_ fate!”

“The first thing we should do is examine the Monoputa File!” Catherine gave up on the knot for now and took charge, grabbing her copy of the mentioned item.

A few people took out their own Monoputa Files and pushed the gruesome pictures aside to follow along with her words. She cleared her throat. “It confirms that Neko Zombie was killed in this room and that the cause of his death was strangulation. He also was killed at around ten thirty five this morning. Does anyone know what time the blackout started?”

“I do,” Cactus Girl said boldly. One of her arms was slung comfortingly around Steve and Gunman narrowed his eyes. “When the blackout started, I was in the storeroom. There’s an old antique clock in there and I glanced at it right before the blackout occurred.” She placed her free hand on her hip and nodded confidently. “I am sure it started at precisely ten thirty!”

Catherine placed a finger to her chin. “So it was roughly at the start of the blackout…” Abruptly she turned to Sarah who jumped a little. “Sarah, can you and Angel Dog organise guards and figure out where everyone was when the blackout started? You might want to investigate there.”

“Sure!” Sarah had calmed down and generated as much of a smile as she could muster.

“We’ll get right on it!” Angel Dog twirled and winked confidently, flicking her wand with gusto.  
Catherine smiled, knowing the jobs were in capable hands. “Chef, I’m going to need you to carefully cut this rope without damaging the body. That knot is too tight and I want to get started as soon as possible.” As Hell’s Chef grunted and plodded over, Catherine nodded to her delegates to begin.

Angel Dog nodded in response and motioned to Sarah to take it away before fluttering over to Steve and murmuring to him. Cactus Girl still held his wrist tightly as she could without inflicting pain, although her attention, and everyone else’s, was focused on Sarah.

“Right, er,” she fumbled, trying to find footing to begin. “I know where most of you were when the lights went out, so before we sort out who goes where, Gregory and Gregory Mama, where were you when the blackout struck?”

“Me? My dear friend, I was alone in the library for quite some time before Mama joined me,” Gregory cast said mother a small, spiteful side glance.

“Before I came to my pathetic excuse for a son,” Gregory Mama contributed, spotting the glance and giving her son a full on glare. “I was in my room, trying to get some beauty sleep, until _Gregory’s_ pitiful wailing eventually woke me.” She huffed and blew a strand of hair out of her eye. “Needless to say _that_ is why I was yelling at him.”

“That’s a _lot_ of ground to cover…” Sarah murmured a little apprehensively as she touched a finger to her chin.

_We don’t have enough time to cover all those rooms with the amount of people we have,_ Sarah realised. _We have to send groups to cover more than one room._

“Well, we’ve got the guards sorted,” Angel Dog chirped, breaking into Sarah’s veil of thoughts.

“We do?” She echoed.

Angel Dog smiled sweetly. “Steve wants to stay behind with Neko Zombie and considering his last interaction with… you know who…” Her gaze drifted to Hell’s Chef who plodded back to the group. His terrifying gaze raked Steve’s feeble figure, sending chills down his spine. “… I’ve decided it would be best if I stayed with him to guard.”

“ _He_ can’t guard the body!” Hell’s Chef protested.

“Who’s going to try and mess with it when there are two pairs of eyes on it, Chef?” Angel Dog poked him in the chest. “Nobody, that’s who. We’ll be fine… unless you’re too lazy to investigate.”

“I AM NOT LAZY!” Hell’s Chef almost pulled out his cleaver but stopped himself once he realized who he was talking to. Huffing an enormous sigh, he folded his arms. “Don’t make me work with the little roulette brat.”

“Hey!” Roulette Boy pouted. “At least I don’t throw as many tantrums as you, ya big baby!”

Clock Master let out a startled shriek when he saw Chef’s face turning red and gently covered Roulette Boy’s mouth. “Let’s not make him any angrier, Roulette Boy.”

_Not only do the groups have to investigate more rooms than usual, we have to be careful about choosing the people within the groups so they get along._ Sarah puzzled over this, deciding the best course of action.

“It’s alright, Chef. I won’t make you work with him,” Sarah decided. “Cactus Girl, could you go with Clock Master and Roulette Boy to investigate? You two are the most level headed enough to deal with that kid,” she added under her breath.

Cactus Girl eyed the boy, who grinned widely and cheekily at her. “Hmph. I will make sure he does not get into any trouble.” She stated curtly.

Sarah smiled and looked to Gregory, Gregory Mama and infamous Hell’s Chef. “So that leaves you three.”

Gregory looked horrified to be stuck with his mother again, his jaw dropping. Gregory Mama, however, huffed and looked away.

“If I must,” she scowled. “But you’d better find some useful clues, Gregory! Since you only have one eye, you’re going to have to work twice as hard!”

“Y-yes Mama! Of course!” Gregory stuttered.

Hell’s Chef squinted at the two critically and gave them a curt, satisfied nod, deciding they were better than Roulette Boy.

Letting out a small sigh of relief, Sarah continued laying out information. “Okay, before the blackout, we know the locations everyone was at were the garden, the kitchen, the library, the storeroom, the nurse’s office and the lounge. Gregory Mama and Clock Master’s rooms also need to be checked. You guys can sort out which group goes to which destination.”

Sarah glanced at Angel Dog for her approval, and she smiled warmly. Spotting movement behind her, Sarah craned her neck, spotting Steve looking physically uncomfortable, holding his sides gingerly.

A grinning Gunman approached Sarah as the groups began to converse. “Then that leaves me with you, senorita! Same plan as always?” He smiled.

“Yeah, of course,” Sarah dismissed him absentmindedly. “Steve, are you okay?”

Steve jumped as she, Gunman and Angel Dog looked at him expectantly. “C-CATHERINE, WE NEED TO GO TO YOUR OFFICE!” He blurted out in a rush, terrified, before grabbing Catherine by the wrist and dragging her off.

“S-Steve! This is so sudden! And unwanted!” Catherine tried to break away from him, but he shouted something incomprehensible at her and she calmed down.

“We’re never going to get this done, are we?” Clock Master sighed. “Steve certainly is acting strange…”

“J-just forget it!” Cactus Girl jumped in, wringing one of her braids. “We should split up anyway. We have work to do; Steve and Catherine will be back soon, I am sure of it.”

Everyone agreed with that and headed off to their respective investigation areas. Cactus Girl’s guess turned out to be right, and Steve and Catherine returned almost as quickly as they had left.

Steve seemed a little more comfortable, but his eyes were still puffy and his nose was still running. Sarah had a feeling he wouldn’t be getting over this death anytime soon.

“Now that the little diversion is over…” Catherine shot Steve a not so subtle glance. “I’m going to finish examining the body.”

Catherine, Angel Dog, and Sarah knelt down right next to Neko Zombie’s body, Steve and Cactus Gunman keeping their distance.

Catherine loosened the cut rope and it fell away, revealing that the formerly covered part of Neko Zombie’s neck had lost some fur and was a raw red. The indentation of the rope was still clearly there.

“No question, this was a strangulation…” Catherine sighed and Steve made a wailing noise and leaned against the wall. Catherine gently moved Neko Zombie’s head to the side. “Hmm…?”

“What?” Angel Dog inquired, a nervous knot forming in her stomach.

“There are nail marks on the side of his neck…!” Catherine seemed more than a bit surprised. “Are those his…?”

“I-if this was…” Steve turned white as a sheet again. “… self inflicted… did he… did he not want to die? Did he change his mind?”

Catherine reached for the rope and examined it from all angles. “… there isn’t a single mark on the rope. He didn’t attempt to claw it off. But how did the marks get on his neck…?”

Cactus Gunman and Sarah exchanged a wary glance.

“Does this mean this _was_ a murder?” Cactus Gunman’s voice cracked a bit.

“It could mean that Neko Zombie wanted to die and didn’t resist…” Catherine seemed like it pained her to say that.

“Maybe he clawed himself during a mental breakdown… the poor thing…” Angel Dog closed her eyes in grief.

“Stop stop stop stop STOP!” Steve covered his ears, his tears flowing full force now. “I don’t want to hear any more!”

“Senor, pull yourself together!” Cactus Gunman grabbed the falling Steve by the shoulders and shook him. “If we don’t solve this mystery, we will die! Do you _want_ to die?!”

Steve looked at Cactus Gunman in sheer horror, his face paling beyond what Sarah thought was humanly possible.

“I thought so,” Cactus Gunman let Steve go and Steve instantly crumpled to a heap on the floor.

“Gunman, don’t you dare talk to him like that!” Angel Dog flew over to him, her hands on her hips. “Imagine how you’d be in his shoes! There are easier ways to talk sense into someone!”

Steve dry heaved and a long string of his saliva hit the floor not far from Gunman’s boots. Angel Dog flew down next to him and rubbed his back, mumbling words of TLC.

“I’ll report the rest of my findings during the trial,” Catherine assured Sarah. “Hopefully Steve can pull himself together by then.” Moving over the crouch by the boy, she murmured to him. “I know it’s tough, but you need to take this like a man. It’s what Neko Zombie would have wanted. He’d want you to solve this mystery and get out of this _alive,_ and do it with your head held high!”

Steve wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and looked to Catherine with pitiful, watery eyes. Sarah’s own heart crumbled a little.

“Okay…” he mewled, feebly and shakily attempting to rise to his feet.

“Atta boy,” Angel Dog said, relief flooding her voice. She helped Steve up and patted him on the shoulder. “Keep your chin up. Or try to, at least.”

Steve swallowed a lump in his throat and gave her a tearful smile.

“Now that that ordeal is done…” Cactus Gunman turned to Sarah. “Shall we make our rounds?”

Sarah’s gut rumbled and she felt her abdomen tighten. “Hold that thought, Gunman. Meet me outside the bathrooms!”

Sarah ran off a bit too fast, leaving a confused Gunman in her dust. He scratched his head and peered out the door after her.

 

_GHS_

 

With a sigh of relief, Sarah walked out of the cubicle and proceeded to wash her hands. This extra time to herself calmed her down some and the water felt cool and refreshing on her skin. Splashing water at the floor, leaving her hands to airdry, she was about to exit when she noticed something odd.

The flash of black that had caught her eye in the pristine bathroom was poking out from behind the toilet of the cubicle closest to the door. Frowning, she approached the object with curiosity and caution. As she got closer, she realised the object was an old gas lamp, and she knelt down to examine it, wrinkling her nose at the stench of the toilet.

It seemed someone had tried to hide this away in a spot no one would think to look, especially when time is of the essence. Sarah realised she was lucky she was at the right angle to see it! There was still a lot of oil left inside, and upon touching it, it burnt her fingers. She retracted them quickly, blowing on the burn and holding back tears.

_This has been used recently… Could it be the culprit used this to see in the dark?_ Leaving further thoughts for the trial, Sarah shoved the probably crucial evidence into her evidence bag and rose to her feet with a wide grin.

Sarah slid out of the cubicle and eased open the door, revealing Gunman who had been patiently waiting as asked. Upon noticing the door was opening, Gunman turned to her and couldn’t resist giving an infectious smile.

“There you are, senorita! Are you ready to go on?” Gunman asked, happy to be reunited.

“You bet!” She bounded out to his side, feeling optimistic about the case. She led him down the hall and passed the short travelling time they had with information. “You won’t believe this, but when I was in there, I found a warm lantern hidden away!”

Gunman reeled backwards in shock. “Really, senorita? Incredible! Only someone with skill like yours would have been able to locate that!”

She turned a vibrant red. “Thanks, but I’m sure any girl who went in there would have found it. It was pretty obvious.” She perked her head up. “You know what this means, right?”

“All senoritas have eyes like eagles?”

Sarah laughed. “No! Well, maybe. But this also means the culprit must have been a girl! The fact that evidence was in a certain bathroom helped us in… in Judgement Boy’s case. It’d probably help us here, too!”

Gunman grinned. “Brilliant deduction, senorita! But do not forget we could be misled. Keep your mind open to possibilities.”

“You’re getting good at this,” Sarah gave him a playful punch on the shoulder. “Well, we had a good start, so let’s keep on looking. Where to next?”

“I think the garden is a good place to begin. There’s only one place that bag of mulch could have come from… not to mention it is very close to here.” Cactus Gunman pointed to the cold metal door not too far off. “Come, senorita, we’ll solve this in no time!”

Glad to have such positive words thrown at her in a dark time, Sarah smiled at him gratefully and took the lead, opening the door for the kind cactus. He tipped his hat in a gentlemanly fashion and went deep into the garden’s depths, Sarah following close behind.

Again, the garden looked as barren as the last time they were in here, discounted the noises coming from the garden shed. Sarah got her companion’s attention and signalled that they should head over. Once they got closer, the two could see Clock Master standing with his arms folded outside the garden shed, which indeed seemed to be the source of the noise. Despite the distance, Sarah could make out two figures, one small and red, the other green and just below average height.

“Sarah! Cactus Gunman!” Clock Master smiled, opening his arms as the two approached. “I was wondering when you would find your way here.”

“Gunman?!” Roulette Boy’s voice came from within the shed, followed by a loud thump. Sarah guessed that in his surprise, his head bolted up and hit something. “Ow! Look what he made me do!”

“That was your own fault,” Cactus Girl sneered, her voice from the same source. She wandered out confidently to meet her brother. “I am trying to keep him under control; I really am, brother.”

“Ah, do not worry, seester,” Gunman approached her with his arms extended out for a hug. The two embraced as they came together. “You are doing your best. It cannot be helped that he is a naive child.”

“I don’t know what nye-eeve means, but you’re super gross and weird,” Roulette Boy stuck out his tongue at Cactus Gunman, but was ignored. “Hmph.”

“Did you find anything?” Sarah asked Cactus Girl, who lit up and nodded.

“We took inventory, and as I thought, the bag of mulch was taken from here; the rope that was hanging on the wall is gone as well…” Cactus Girl motioned to the shed and Sarah quickly peered inside. Cactus Girl was right. “I can’t find any evidence of _who_ took them, though. Mierda, this is going to be a tough case…”

“Evidence is evidence!” Clock Master gave her a thumbs up. “I wonder if Neko Zombie was the one who took these… it would be nice to have evidence to the contrary…”

“We’d be able to find that out if we had fingerprinting kits…” Sarah murmured wistfully.

Clock Master smiled wryly. “Those are good intentions, but that might not work considering our furrier and scalier housemates; they have no fingerprints.”

Sarah slumped her shoulders disappointedly as Gunman muttered consoling words.

“I hate to add to the sorrow, but we have more news,” Cactus Girl looked apologetic. “We looked at the library earlier, but we didn’t find a thing! The whole room was intact!”

“I’m surprised Gregory didn’t knock anything over! He _was_ being yelled at the whole time. What a loser!” Roulette Boy chuckled. “I sure am glad _my_ parents aren’t around!”

“Still, the facts are that it didn’t bring us a _smidge_ closer to proving what happened to Neko Zombie,” Clock Master remarked.

“But _we_ managed to find something useful…” Sarah recounted the tale that lead her to find the lantern. “If this was premeditated by Neko Zombie, he wouldn’t have needed a lantern. Especially since he’s hardly been leaving his room lately. This lantern was hidden hastily, I could tell that much. This has 'murder’ written all over it.”

“What a great find!” Cactus Girl gasped a bit. “I should have known Neko Zombie would never take his own life… Steve always spoke so highly of him… he will be happy to hear this.”

“Seester, I do not think mentioning Neko Zombie around him is wise…” Cactus Gunman warned, recalling Steve’s earlier breakdown. _This trial will be interesting…_

“Oh brother, I am just trying to help him!” Cactus Girl protested.

“Yeah, _brother!_ Back off, ahaha!” Roulette Boy poked his tongue out at Gunman.

Clock Master put his hand on the young boy’s head. “I…think that’s enough now, wouldn’t you agree?”

As Roulette Boy pouted, Sarah tried to steer the conversation back on track. “We’ve gotten a bit of evidence so far, but we can’t stop now. Are you sure you didn’t find anything else?”

“Positive,” Cactus Girl confirmed.

“Then we should move on and look elsewhere. Clock Master,” As Sarah turned to him, he stood a little straighter, as though he was in the army. “Do you think you could show these two to one of the places we know someone was at the beginning of the blackout and search there?”

“Are you asking me because you think this will aid me in becoming a more responsible parent?” Clock Master raised a brow. Sarah smiled sheepishly as he saw through her plan. “Ah, you’re very kind, Sarah. I’ll take them to the lounge.”

Clock Master faced Cactus Girl and Roulette Boy, gesturing to the kitchen door with a big sweep of his arm. “Come along, kids. We’ll look at the kitchen on the way!”

Cactus Girl pouted as she followed him to their destination. “I am not a kid…”

Roulette Boy trotted along next to her. “Sure you are, Cactus _Girl!”_

She stopped in her tracks, her eyes igniting into a glare of rage. “Why you…!”

Laughing with glee, Roulette Boy ran off through the kitchen door with Cactus Girl hot on his heels, leaving Clock Master to sigh and shake his head.

“Ahh… I’m going to need a lot more help,” Clock Master smiled self-mockingly over his shoulder before disappearing through the kitchen door.

“Ah, my poor seester… She has her hands full with such a little ruffian,” Gunman’s tone was full of empathy.

“At least she has Clock Master to take the edge off a little…” Sarah sighed. Dealing with Roulette Boy was always a headache and a half.

The kitchen door opened a few moments after Clock Master went inside and Hell’s Chef peered around it. When his eyes settled on Sarah and Gunman, he blinked a couple times and beckoned them over.

“Chef, why aren’t you with Gregory and his mom?” Sarah asked, a little miffed that Hell’s Chef was shirking his duties.

“They sent me to get you two,” Hell’s Chef pushed the door open wider and let Sarah and Gunman inside. “They said you need to take a look at the storeroom.”

“Is there evidence inside?” Sarah asked, her eyebrows rising with interest.

“You could say that,” Hell’s Chef shoved his hands in his apron pockets as he led them to the storeroom.

The trip wasn’t as fast as Sarah would have liked, having to pass through all the different rooms and halls, but once they arrived at their destination, Sarah knew the trip was worth it. The storeroom was cold and dark as always, Gregory and Gregory Mama’s faces illuminated by a single candle at the back of the room that flickered in the breeze. They were possibly the only things that remained as normal as always. The room itself was practically destroyed; books and old belongings tossed about and scattered on the floor. Even the old grandfather clock had a cracked face!

“What…happened?” Sarah mumbled in awe.

Gunman and Sarah were too shocked to move, gaping like goldfish at the wreckage.

“Oh, thank goodness you’re here!” Gregory sounded beyond relieved. “We thought everything was going smoothly when we found nothing in the nurse’s office, but this… We don’t know what to make of it!”

“Get in,” Hell’s Chef pushed the two in from behind and they stumbled forward, hearing a small crack. Sarah lifted up her shoe and saw a piece of what was once fine china pounded into small shards and dust. She quickly swept the remains away with her foot elsewhere into the wreckage.

“Gregory may be right for once,” Gregory Mama continued, ignoring Hell’s Chef’s actions. “We expected not a _shred_ of anything in this room, being so far from the body, but that buffoon murder must have done something in here.”

“Did someone perhaps discover them and confront them?” Gunman speculated, trying his best to come up with an explanation.

“That’s impossible, if anyone encountered the murderer, they’d probably let us know…” Sarah bit her lip, thinking for a few moments. “Right?”

“Not if they didn’t live to tell the tale…” Gregory barely stifled a snicker. “Apologies, but do you think the first confrontation between the murderer and Neko Zombie could have occurred here?”

“Neko Zombie would have come to get someone if he had a run in with a murderer, Gregory,” Sarah sighed. “But I suppose anything’s possible… the room is in complete disarray, after all.”

“Do we know who could have been in here…?” Hell’s Chef asked, a safe distance away from the storeroom’s open door. Sarah couldn’t blame him; she couldn’t imagine the draft in here was healthy for his flame.

“Earlier when we were sorting groups, Cactus Girl admitted she was in here,” Sarah recalled. “It’s the reason I suggested we look here in the first place.”

“M-my seester did this?!” Gunman was baffled. “She could have been hurt, fighting with a murderer!”

“Mama and I looked all over, and nothing, just a big mess,” Gregory sighed. “There might have been a fight here, but no blood was shed.”

“Why would Cactus Girl keep something like this from us…?” Sarah folded her arms, racking her brain for an idea that made sense. “Maybe… No, never mind.”

“If you have an idea, spit it out,” Gregory Mama scowled. “It’s better than nothing.”

Glancing shamefully at Gunman, Sarah confessed her thought. “Maybe… she had ties to the murderer?”

Gunman’s eyes grew to the size of oranges. “STEVE! My poor seester is attached to that… that…!” He was practically bursting for lack of finding the exact word to expel his hate.

“But wait a minute…” Gregory butted in to share his piece. “Steve wouldn’t kill Neko Zombie.” He recalled the time when he had to use endless methods just to get him to peer into the bath house. “He’s too weak willed to do something so brutal.”

“Then who _else_ would it be?!” Gunman was hysterical, waving his arms for emphasis as he got in Gregory’s face. “You aren’t implying my _seester_ is the killer, are you?!”

“Well…” Gregory smirked, leaving it at that.

With a loud thump, his cheeky expression shot into one of pain. “For goodness sake, Gregory! This situation is already hopeless enough, and your pathetic provocation isn’t helping!” Gregory Mama growled, unable to believe the idiocy of her son.

Gregory whimpered and turned away, rubbing his head, but said nothing.

“In any case, we can’t know for sure until we collaborate at the trial. Let’s just hold off for now until we know more,” Sarah said uneasily, trying to smooth over the tension.

“We do know Cactus Girl is fond of ropes,” Hell’s Chef commented.

Gregory jabbed a finger towards the door, his eyes huge. “See?! It could only have been her! Only she would think to use a rope to hang that mangy cat; and lassos don’t leave blood so she could very well have struggled with someone in here!”

“I refuse to believe it!” Cactus Gunman glared at Gregory and Sarah could have sworn Gunman was fighting back tears. “My seester is too little and pure to do something so terrible! Not like that horrible grandson of yours!”

“How _dare_ you bring James up!” Gregory was rolling up his sleeves, grinding his teeth in anger.

Gregory Mama stepped back and folded her arms, looking more than a bit amused at the arguing. _This is turning into a fistfight… I’d stop them, but Gregory should get what’s coming to him._

Sarah, on the other hand, smacked her palm into her face and glared unforgivingly at Hell’s Chef, almost forgetting that he carried around a giant cleaver that he wielded with immense strength.

“Gunman! Gregory! Let’s save the accusations for the trial!” Sarah tore her gaze back to the arguers and edged in between them, holding up her hands in an attempt to keep them from tearing each other apart. “Who knows how much time we have left to investigate?”

“Mmm,” Hell’s Chef nodded in agreement. Sarah briefly shot him a flat look. It was his comment that caused the argument to heat up, after all.

Gregory Mama looked mildly disappointed and redirected her upset feelings onto her son. “Yes, _Gregory,_ you’re holding everyone back!”

“B-but I’m right, Mama! You know I am!”

Sarah’s face had a strained expression in no time flat and she looked to Gunman for help.

“We should split back up and search more,” Gunman tried to sound authoritative, sliding to Sarah’s, and the whole party’s, rescue. “So, if we could just have your attention for a little bit.”

Gregory and Gregory Mama stopped their bickering and focused on Gunman, the former detecting the irritation and distaste in Gunman’s tone. Sarah heaved a breath of relief.

“Okay, nearly everywhere has been checked. That just leaves…” Sarah ran over the locations and mentally ticked off each one that had been investigated. “Clock Master’s room and your room,” Sarah pointed to Gregory Mama who backpedalled a step or two and looked outraged.

“WHAT?! My ROOM?!” Gregory Mama bared her teeth. “You swine don’t deserve a peek in the room of a lady such as me! I won’t allow it!”

“Why do you think I asked where you were during the blackout? If you want your name cleared, we have to make sure your alibi holds up!” Sarah couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

“Would you rather we suspect you, senorita?” Cactus Gunman pushed the brim of his hat upwards. “You seem a bit too defensive.”

“Mama, you didn’t do it, did you?” Gregory asked carefully, a surprising glint of hope in his eyes.

She turned on him like a pack of wolves. “I don’t want to hear that from _you,_ you idiot! How DARE you blame your own mother!” As Gregory cowered, his hands held up protectively, Gregory Mama continued, turning to Sarah and Gunman. “Fine. I’ll permit you to search my room. But _so help me,_ if even _one_ object is out of place when I return…!” She brandished her cane spectacularly, finishing it off by smoothing her dress and sniffing in a snobby manner.

Gunman and Sarah exchanged frightened glances before the latter gained the courage to speak. “W-we understand. Trust us, nothing will be damaged.”

Gregory Mama smiled satisfactorily. “Good. Now come along Gregory, we’d better look at that horrible drunkard’s quarters.”

Regally sashaying out of the room with Gregory close behind, she motioned for Hell’s Chef to join her as she rounded the corner.

Cactus Gunman let out an enormous sigh of relief. “It pains me to talk badly about a senorita, but she is… terrifying. I feel tense around her, and not in a good way.”

“Well, she’s out of our hair for now…” Sarah kept her voice low, as if Gregory Mama would somehow overhear and come flying back to clobber the both of them with her cane. “Let’s go see if her alibi holds up.”

The two headed towards Gregory Mama’s room in relative silence, Cactus Gunman’s eyes constantly scanning everything around them, as if a clue would materialize out of thin air. Sarah’s chest tightened when she noticed; she wondered if he was looking for something that would prove that his sister was innocent.

As they passed by Clock Master’s room, they noticed that the door was ajar. Sarah could hear crashes and heavy footsteps inside.

_She tells me not to trash her room and then she trashes Clock Master’s room…_ Sarah narrowed her eyes in disapproval. _Geez…_

When they finally arrived at the door with Gregory Mama’s portrait and name on it, Cactus Gunman swung it open and gestured for Sarah to go inside. As she walked in, she couldn’t help but note his kindness and felt immense gratitude. Those thoughts were eradicated from her mind as she marvelled over the magnificence of Gregory Mama’s room. She ventured deeper in, admiring every inch of it, hardly noticing the door squeak shut as Gunman entered behind her.

The layout was generally similar to her own room, but there were many traits about it that made it unique and very much desirable. The bedsheets were tidy and pure down, feeling as soft as heaven when she touched it. Gregory Mama’s wardrobe was filled to the brim, clothes sprouting from the edges. Sarah could see each set was designed for a specific purpose and shuddered when she spotted a glimpse of a swimsuit. Tearing her eyes away, she marvelled over the much more appealing elegant wallpaper, still caught up in her own little world of wonder. She shot back down to reality when she saw what was on the desk.

“What… are these?” Sarah inched closer to the object, unsure of what to think.

What she was looking at was little glass jars, airtight and holding some sort of little glowing object. She bent down so they were at eye level and studied them further while catching Gunman’s footsteps coming closer, but not acknowledging him.

“I am not sure, senorita. Perhaps these are nightlights?” Gunman suggested with a shrug.

“Nightlights?” Sarah straightened up and looked at him with an amused expression.

He smiled sheepishly. “Maybe she is afraid of the dark?”

She could no longer suppress her laughter and as she giggled, Gunman pulled a goofy face. After regaining her composure, though still smiling ridiculously, she circled on the spot, eyeing every inch of the room, looking for a single thing that was out of place. After making a full revolution, she frowned.

“It doesn’t look like anything suspicious is in here, discounting these…things,” Sarah reported, pointing to the glowing objects. She clicked her fingers, a flash of inspiration striking. “But maybe you were onto something!”

“I-I was?” Gunman was baffled. “I was just kidding around!”

“But these _could_ be used as nightlights; a means to see in the dark!” Sarah explained, her eyes shining with her revelation. “If Neko Zombie was murdered, she could have taken one of these jars to travel in the dark!”

“You’re right!” Gunman exclaimed, looking pleased. He paused suddenly and frowned, stroking his moustache. “But… Are these really bright in the dark?”

It was Sarah’s turn to pause. She hadn’t considered this. “Here, I’ll shut the door, you blow out the candles.”

Gunman nodded and as soon as Sarah shut the door, he blew out every single candle in the room. The illumination from the jars was dim, barely shedding any light on the desk apart from an eerie blue glow.

“Well, so much for that lead…” Sarah huffed, struggling to see as her eyes tried to adjust to the darkness. “If these _had_ been bright, then Gregory Mama could have planted that lantern in order to throw us off her trail, but that’s not the case at all. Looks like we’re back to square one.”

“I’ll defend my seester with my _life!”_ Even in the dark, Cactus Gunman’s fiery determination was clear. “But… um, senorita… does blowing out candles count as putting things 'out of place?’”

“Shit…” Sarah cursed under her breath. “You’re right! Let’s get out of here before she finds out!”

Sarah began to grope around in search of the doorknob. When she finally found it, she heard the telltale crackling of the hotel’s loudspeakers.

“Condenado…!” Cactus Gunman gripped the sides of his sombrero. “What does-”

It didn’t take long for him to get his answer. “Helloooo, everyone! Allow me to save you from your fumblings and awkward situations! It’s trial tiiiiiiime~!” Monoputa’s sadistically cheerful voice rang out.

Sarah felt her heart fall into her stomach. “A-already…? But we’ve barely even-”

“I sure hope all of you are done with your investigations! If not, too bad! Get to the elevator, pronto, or I’ll get _really_ angry~!” After a fit of obnoxious snickering, Monoputa turned off the intercom.

“We barely found anything…” Sarah slumped her shoulders. “I don’t have a good feeling about this…”

Sarah felt a prickly arm drape across her back. “There there, senorita. I am sure the testimonies will be of use. We are all working towards a common goal, after all.”

“… and we’ve already won twice…” Sarah gave him a thin smile, which was more than enough for him. “I’ll do my best. I know your sister didn’t do this, Gunman.”

“Your kindness knows no bounds… Sarah… thank you…” Cactus Gunman fiddled with his neckerchief a little, smiling into Sarah’s eyes gratefully. After a moment, he straightened up and opened the door. “Let us meet up with the others. We don’t want to make Monoputa angry…”

 

_GHS_

 

Sarah and Gunman walked through the lobby apprehensively, worried for the near future. Upon opening the door back into the hall, the two saw all their other housemates had already arrived, including one that was not so welcome.

“There you two are! Right on schedule~!” Monoputa trotted over to greet them, a large grin on his face. “Any longer and… well…” He mimed slitting his throat and waggled his eyebrows. “Ahahahaa! Oh, I’m a riot today, aren’t I?”

“I can think of a few other things you’re being,” Catherine muttered.

“Hehe, I think it was _great!”_ Roulette Boy giggled.

Monoputa smoothly slid over to him. “You are perrrfeeect~” And slapped him a high-five. “Speaking of perfect, Angel Dog!”

Angel Dog, who was holding Steve’s hand tenderly as he wiped his eyes, looked up at the sound of her name, although she was less than pleased. “Yes? What do _you_ want?”

Monoputa lay down on his stomach and kicked his little legs back and forth, looking up and her and most likely under her dress as well. “Where’s my Devil Lovely? Doesn’t she looove trials? I know you hate them, so see if she wants to come out!”

Angel Dog shoved the bottom of her dress between her legs. “I will no-” She was suddenly enveloped in a cloud of smoke, which cleared up to reveal Devil Dog with a cheeky grin on her face. “Did you miss me?” She smirked down at Monoputa who beamed with sheer delight.

“More than you could even _imagine!”_ he siiiiiighed. Sarah could practically see hearts fluttering around his head and she was overcome with a sudden urge to vomit. “Might even spare you if you guys get this one wrong. Which I am 99% sure you will. Right, Sarah?” Monoputa hopped to his feet and he gave Sarah a sugary sweet smile.

Sarah’s urge to vomit was completely overcome by a burning desire to crush Monoputa into a bloody pulp.

“D-do I have to go in-” Steve’s shaky voice rose up in the silence and Monoputa replied with a curt “Yes.”

“Let’s just get this started,” Gregory Mama adjusted the rose in her hair. “I’ve grown sick of waiting!”

“Great minds think alike, don’t they? I’d say that if you had a great mind, anyway!” Monoputa stuck his tongue out at her. “Now everyone! Get your fat tushes in the elevator, pronto! We’ve got a trial to staaart~”

All the housemates shuffled into the large elevator’s depths, a gut-wrenching fear settling in their stomachs. Steve was a bit behind the others, guided in by Cactus Girl who had substituted for Angel Dog. The poor boy’s movements were sluggish, unsteady and ridden with grief.

“Yeah, yeah, we get it, you’re sad,” Roulette Boy pouted. “Stop being such a downer!”

“Yeah, God Steve! Lighten up! It’s not like someone died!” Monoputa sneered as the elevator doors shut. “Oh wait.” The door shut on his evil smile and slowly the elevator rumbled down into the ground’s depths.

Sarah gripped her sides and stared down to the cold floor, terror and unease taking over her mind. Gunman inched closer to her, whether it was because he was giving her support, or he wanted it himself, she was unsure.

_Our evidence is minimal and with so many rooms and alibis… how can I be sure what the truth is?_


	19. Scratches

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Sorry to keep you waiting!_   
>  _The first part of the third trial, oh boy! It’s a little short because we wanted to split it in two, but you’ll be happy to know that the chapter after this is nearing completion~_   
>  _Amazing art this chapter by Lizzie, Lizzy, and Micki! I can’t thank them enough~_   
>  _I hope all of you guys like this chapter! Let us know what you think <3_

When at last the elevator’s cold doors opened once more after what seemed like an eternity, all eleven remaining housemates were exposed to the despairing depths of the trial room. During the descent, Sarah had a sneaking suspicion that had now been confirmed.

The trial room had changed once again. The room has yet again retained its signature bonsai, podiums and throne, but that was all that remained from their past two encounters. What was in the place of the previously painted bright orange beaches was a surprisingly well painted room in a haunted house. Each wall held a different section of the same room that when looked at side by side, it created an almost palpable setting that encased them. _This is definitely not as happy as I remember it being,_ Sarah thought despairingly, gripping her sides tighter, looking for some medium to enable her uneasiness to escape.

As soon as he laid eyes on Neko Zombie’s X-emblazoned portrait, Steve started sniffling again. Sarah gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder on the way to her podium.

“We’ll figure this out,” she whispered as she moved by him, heading closer to the front of the crowd. Somebody had to take the first step, and it might as well be her.

“God, you’re all so SLOW!” Monoputa skidded to a stop in front of them, though everyone was certain he wasn’t in the room moments before. Grinning happily, with a touch of malice, he continued: “Is the scenery getting to you? I chose it just for this case! You were all in the dark for a while, fearing for your lives as a murderer struck… a little longer will just give this trial some more pizazz! Tensions mounting, fear rising… So awesome~! Now get to your spots; let’s get this trial rolling!”

Steve’s heart thundered in his chest as he took his spot. Not only was the stress getting to him, but on the wall behind his podium, a sinister-looking red haired doll in green rags stared him down, her eyes accusatory and hateful.

“Uhm, c-can I move?” Steve asked, feebly jerking a thumb over his shoulder, refusing to make eye contact with the terrifying painting.

“Nope~! I put Katie there especially for you and you’re gonna enjoy her company~!” Monoputa sang as he plopped onto his chair like a dainty ballerina.

Steve couldn’t help letting out a frail whimper and looked to his left for Cactus Girl’s support. Even in such dark times, Sarah’s heart was warmed as the girl placed her hand gently on his and pulled a brave face, summoning courage enough for the both of them. Though two podiums away from each other, Sarah could hear a growl of rage from Gunman and saw him frown discontentedly as he too witnessed the interaction.

“I will start this trial off…” Gunman began loudly and waited until all attention was on him. “…by saying _that_ señor is the killer!” He thrust one of his hands in Steve’s direction.

Steve made a remarkably unmasculine squeaking noise, his eyes filling up with tears. “M-me?! I’d never kill Neko Zombie… o-o-or _anyone!”_

“Brother, why are you accusing him?” Cactus Girl glowered at her brother, one hand on her hip. Cactus Gunman felt his heart shatter into a million pieces. His sister was taking _Steve’s_ side?! “Do you have evidence?”

“I hate to interrupt your…sibling quarrel,” Gregory interjected, his face twisted into it’s usual smirk. “But even with my sight hindered, I can see that wretched cat’s death was suicide.”

“All signs pointed to suicide,” Gregory Mama flicked her hair. “Loathe as I am to agree with my son, he has a point.”

“Indeed,” Clock Master contributed his share matter-of-factly. “He clearly hung himself with that rope, using the bag of mulch to get high enough, before kicking it over and… Er, well…”

“Dying, haha!” Roulette Boy hopped from one leg to the other, drool slipping down from his mouth. “He’s already dead; why don’t you just go out and say it?”

“Stop it!” Steve held his head as he vigorously shook it from side to side. “I-it wasn’t suicide! He’d never, ever do that! He’d never leave his friends all alone!”

“Sounds to me like he’s trying to gain sympathy…” Cactus Gunman kept a suspicious eye on Steve, an enormous frown on his face.

“Mm…” Hell’s Chef nodded. “He’s acting stranger than usual.”

“Everyone BE QUIET!” Sarah slammed her fist on her podium. “I agree with Steve; Neko Zombie told me himself that he would never commit suicide because he knew Monoputa would send us all on a wild chase for a murderer that doesn’t even exist!”

“She ain’t kidding, I would do that!” Monoputa admitted with a little giggle.

“He could have changed his mind, idiot!” Devil Dog seemed all too amused by that idea. “Things have been _especially_ rough for him lately, after all! Poor thing had to spend time with a wet blanket like Steve!”

Steve tried to retort, but the only thing that came out of his mouth was an obnoxiously loud dry heave.

Devil Dog laughed uproariously. “See, he’s supporting my case!”

“Alright, let’s stop making digs at each other and get to the hard evidence,” Catherine shot Devil Dog and Gunman each meaningful glances. “Now, I think from my examination of Neko Zombie’s body, I found evidence to support Steve and Sarah’s claims. After looking at his neck, I can tell Neko Zombie was strangled with bare hands, but the marks left in his skin indicate he didn’t strangle himself. Not to mention that wouldn’t make sense, considering he was hung from the bars, so don’t get any ideas.”

Roulette Boy, who had opened his mouth at the mention of ‘bare hands’, instantly shut it again and folded his arms, pouting and looking down at his feet.

“What you mean to say is… someone strangled Neko Zombie, then hung him up?!” Cactus Girl looked horrified.

“They made it _look_ like a suicide… and since Neko Zombie was so depressed, they thought everyone would buy it…” Sarah couldn’t believe anyone would sink so low.

“I can see why they would have thought that,” Gregory smirked cruelly. “That certainly wasn’t pleasant. But more to the point, this means my first guess was right! It _must_ have been Cactus Girl!”

“Me?! How dare you say something like that! Neko Zombie and I were friends!” Cactus Girl stoutly defended.

“A rope was used…” Hell’s Chef eyed the lasso at Cactus Girl’s waist.

She gasped as she looked at her hip. “I am being framed! You should know all about that from the last trial, Hell’s Chef!”

Hell’s Chef balled his hands into fists and squinted his eyes tight. “THIS IS DIFFERENT!”

“Is that because it’s not you?!” Cactus Girl angrily retorted, her hands flung to the podium as she leaned forward and around Steve to glare her accuser in the eyes.

Poor Steve, caught in the middle, looked nervously back and forth wishing he was anywhere else. “Uuuu…”

He grew even paler when Hell’s Chef drew his cleaver and brandished it right in front of Steve. “ARGH, I should save Monoputa the trouble and-”

_“ENOUGH!”_ Cactus Gunman fired his pistol into the air, taking out a light. “Put that away or the next one goes between your eyes.” Glaring intensely beneath the brim of his hat, Cactus Gunman pointed both of his guns at Hell’s Chef.

With a grunt of resignation, Hell’s Chef sheathed his knife and held up his hands. Steve let out a colossal sigh of relief and hunched over his podium.

“Now that we’ve calmed down a bit, is there any hard evidence for why you think that, you two?” Clock Master seemed perplexed and laughed a little to try and lighten the atmosphere.

“I can answer that,” Gregory Mama smiled satisfactorily as all eyes were trained on her. “Those two numbskulls and I went to investigate the storeroom where Cactus Girl claimed she was during the blackout…”

“It’s true! I was there!” Cactus Girl tried to turn the argument to her favour. “But that’s on the other side of the hotel; far from Neko Zombie!”

“Well, we’ve established he wasn’t hung, but rather choked. You must have killed him in the storeroom! Why else did it look like a bombsite?!” Gregory Mama looked triumphant. “And you hung him in his room so it would look like he killed himself! You’re one twisted little girl, aren’t you?”

“Wh-what?” Cactus Girl looked blown away. “N-no! I-”

“Oh, she’s stuttering! How interesting…” Gregory smirked, folding his bony arms. “Well, it seems this will be an easy case. Ah, the carelessness of youth… makes it easier on all of us.”

“Hey, not all of us, gramps! Only young people related to _Gunman!”_ Roulette Boy cackled away, looking pleased with his retort.

Cactus Gunman rubbed his temples. “Not now…”

“Roulette Boy, we need to _focus.”_ Catherine chided with a sigh. “This is a trial, so all our lives are on the line. It’s not the time for jokes.”

“That’s right, but we can’t just assume it was Cactus Girl without hearing her say her piece,” Sarah reasoned, giving Cactus Girl a hopeful look. “Can you tell us exactly what you did during the blackout?”

“Um… well…” Cactus Girl was uncharacteristically nervous. Sarah’s stomach knotted up as Cactus Girl’s eyes flitted around the room. _Is she going to lie?_

“She has liar written all over her,” Gregory nodded confidently. “If she was truly innocent, she would answer confidently. I say we-”

“Wait!” Catherine raised her arm. “There’s something I should mention before we jump to conclusions!”

“More needless blaming, I assume?” Clock Master let out a sad sigh.

“This is important,” Catherine gave him a flat look. “I hate to break doctor-patient confidentiality, but earlier I gave Steve something for an injury. He wouldn’t show it to me, but he said he needed ointment to dull pain and itching.”

“Oh…” Steve’s hands flew to his face.

“Steve, if it’s not anywhere… indecent, can you show your injury to the court?” Catherine was speaking gently, in hopes that Steve wouldn’t pass out from the pressure. “I’m not accusing you of doing this, but it’s important we get every ounce of evidence out in the open.”

Cactus Girl looked at Steve in abject terror and Steve’s hands shook. “I… I… okay… if it’ll make you lay off of Cactus Girl, I will…”

Steve swallowed, grabbed the bottom hem of his shirt, and rolled it up, revealing his bare chest to the court. A collective gasp rang out through the courtroom; Steve’s skin was absolutely covered with shallow scratches of all sizes, bright red against his pale skin.

“Steve… how?” were the only two words Sarah could muster.

“Why would you kill your friend?! That’s messed up!” Roulette Boy stuck his tongue out in disgust.

“How low do those go?” Devil Dog leaned forward, a huge smirk on her face.

“I’ll show you how low _I_ can go, Devil Dog,” Monoputa waggled his eyebrows and gave her a seductive wink.

“Stop,” Hell’s Chef said, his fists clenched.

“Th-these aren’t from Neko Zombie! I swear!” Steve’s eyes filled up with tears.

“What _else_ would they be from? You expect us to believe some wild story?” Gregory Mama scowled. “Unlike you, we’re well educated enough not to fall for such ridiculous claims.” Glancing at Gregory she added: “Most of us are, anyway…”

“If those marks were from Neko Zombie, his shirt would be torn up too…” Sarah observed.

“Unless he had a spare with him,” Gregory observed. “He seems like the type who would be overly prepared. He is paranoid…”

“Hold on!” Cactus Girl’s face was red. “I… I happen to know where those scratches came from. And they are not from Neko Zombie.”

“Seester, you’re speaking madness,” Cactus Gunman shook his head. “Where else would they be from?”

Cactus Girl took a deep breath and slowly let it out. Raising her head and making defiant eye contact with her brother, she simply stated: “Me.”

“Ooooooh!” Devil Dog seemed absolutely delighted with this news.

“I don’t get it! Why would you do that? Did you realize he was a giant weiner and give him what was coming to him?” Roulette Boy asked, blinking curiously.

“I think that's… not quite what happened, Roulette Boy,” Clock Master sidled out of his podium and up to Roulette Boy, covering his ears.

“Hey!”

Clock Master momentarily uncovered one of Roulette Boy’s ears to say “This is for your own good.”

“He… was with me in the storeroom…” Cactus Girl uncomfortably shifted where she stood. “We didn’t mean to make such a mess, but I suppose I couldn’t help it…”

“Seester, stop this nonsense right now!” Cactus Gunman clung to his hat, his eyes shimmering with the threat of tears. “Why are you lying to defend him? I know you would never do such an absurd thing!”

“Gunman, we should hear her out, even if it’s hard for you…” Sarah sighed. “This could clear your sister’s name. Steve, is this true?”

Steve bunched up his shirt in his hands. “Yes, completely…” His face turned as red as a tomato.

“I can’t believe you screwed a cactus; that’s actually pretty brave of you!” Devil Dog laughed uproariously.

Steve spluttered like popcorn in hot oil. “D-don’t say it like _that!”_

“Please don’t!” Cactus Gunman barely suppressed the urge to shoot Steve where he stood.

“Mierda, can we not dwell on this?!” Cactus Girl was getting redder and redder by the minute. Sarah was starting to worry that her face would catch fire. “We have to solve this case! Steve and I have an alibi; we never, ever left that room until we heard Gregory’s cries and left to see him in the library.”

“You two are conspiring together!” Gregory Mama stabbed a finger at them. “How do we know you aren’t lying?”

Hell’s Chef pulled up his collar and cleared his throat, looking away from everyone. “They… aren’t. During the blackout, we were searching for everyone… and I opened the storeroom door… and I saw them…”

“So _that’s_ why you were acting so strange!” Sarah gasped. So she hadn’t hallucinated the blush creeping across Hell’s Chef’s face! “Why didn’t you just tell us earlier?”

“Because I thought he would do that,” Hell’s Chef pointed at Cactus Gunman, who was shaking violently with sheer rage, his head bowed. “… and… it’s embarrassing…” The last part was barely audible. Sarah couldn’t believe her ears, quite frankly.

“Thank you,” Cactus Girl said begrudgingly, looking more like a tomato than a cactus. She couldn’t _believe_ they got caught… at least it was dark.

“Gunman…” Sarah folded her arms and squinted at her catatonic comrade.

“You… You have soiled my seester you…” Gunman struggled to find the words to express his depth of anger. After a heartbeat, he could restrain himself no longer and drew his guns, aiming them violently at Steve, his hands shaking so hard his accuracy would be more catastrophic than usual. “I should blast your head off, hijo! I’ll _never_ forgive you!”

Steve shrunk back each time the word 'you’ was mentioned and his eyes bulged in fear.

“B-brother, no!” Cactus Girl exclaimed as she stomped forward ferociously, her eyes were beginning to water. Just when she thought they were going to drop the subject, she was torn once more and felt at breaking point. “Why can’t you just accept it?! I…I love him!”

The room fell to a brief, tense silence, only broken through Roulette Boy’s tiny giggles.

“The drama is making this trial waaay more fun!” Devil Dog cackled, leaning forward on her podium.

“Agreed!” Monoputa clapped his little hands together. “More! More!”

Gunman slowly lowered his guns and stared blankly at the floor, his eyes an empty void.

Sarah sighed, sensing his turbulent feelings at war. “Gunman,” she began, trying to sound gentle, “I know you need to sort this out, but now isn’t the time or place. Please, let it rest for now. We have work to do.”

“You’d be wise to listen to her, my friend,” Gregory chuckled, but for once, his eyes didn’t have their usual playful hint.

After a few more moments of silence, Gunman spoke, his voice distant. “You’re right… We should march on. Please, continue,” he waved his hand vaguely and slowly lifted his gaze, purposely avoiding his sister and Steve.

Sarah looked at him with dismay. _This case is tearing even tight bonds apart. Will we ever catch the murderer and correct the damage they’ve done?_


	20. Drop Dead Gorgeous

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _ime to figure out who the murderer is!_   
>  _Hope you guys have fun reading this~ Thank you to Lizzy, Lizzie, and Bebe for the wonderful art!_   
>  _Please let Ven and I know what you think~ Happy reading!_

Sarah was all too eager to change the subject. “I have evidence that someone was walking around during the blackout, but it raises more questions than answers.” Reaching into her evidence bag, Sarah produced the lantern. “I found this light in the women’s restroom; it was still warm and had a faint glow, so obviously it was used during the blackout. Right, Gunman?”

“Mm,” Cactus Gunman nodded, keeping his head low. Sarah’s stomach knotted up. Seeing the usually vigorous and enthusiastic Gunman reduced to this state was frightening, to say the least.

“Did anyone see any light during the blackout?” Catherine asked. “Besides Hell’s Chef’s, of course.”

A silence fell over the courtroom as everyone picked at their brains. A cacophony of ‘no’s filled the room after just a few moments. Catherine let out a sigh of frustration. “This isn’t going to be easy…”

“Where would someone even get a lantern? I never saw one like that anywhere…” Clock Master stroked his chin, squinting at the evidence.

“Is Monoputa working with the murderer again?” Roulette Boy side-eyed Monoputa, who held up his hands.

“I’m not saying anything, that’s no fun! Besides, I don’t play favorites!” He frowned intensely at Roulette Boy.

“Excuse me, Monoputa, but what about _her?”_ Cactus Girl jerked her head in Devil Dog’s direction. “If I recall, you are constantly fawning over her. Did you want her to get a free pass out of here?”

“I can kill people without anyone’s help, thank you very much!” Devil Dog glared daggers, spears, and harpoons at Cactus Girl.

_**That’s**_ _what offended her?_ Sarah heaved an enormous sigh.

“Besides, that stupid blithe idiot Angel Dog managed to keep me from taking over during the blackout,” Devil Dog planted her hands on her hips. “She was _far_ too concerned with moaning over not being able to watch the football, I’m sure.”

After a moment’s silence, Sarah raised a finger as the cogs in her mind began to spin faster and faster, reaching a conclusion. “Hold on…” She began thoughtfully, turning to Devil Dog. “So you admit to being a witness for Angel Dog then?”

“Unfortunately… Why?” The demonic dog sneered over at her.

“Then that means Neko Zombie’s killer…” Sarah shut her eyes and braced herself for revealing her regrettable conclusion, “is either Catherine, Gregory Mama or Gregory.”

Gregory jumped. “Huh?!”

“Ex _cuse me?!”_ Gregory Mama thrust her hands onto the front of her podium.

“Sarah!” Catherine cried indignantly. “What on earth is making you suspect us?”

Sarah felt positively awful blaming her friends, even if some of them were less likeable than the others. It tore her heart out to explain herself to those who had had faith in her. “W-well, everyone else has a witness to where they were during the blackout at all times. You three were the only ones unattended,” she explained weakly.

“I see,” Catherine nodded understandingly, sadness and firm resolve in her eyes. “But Sarah, you must understand that you’re wrong. I am a nurse, my job is to _save and heal_ my patients, not to kill them.”

“Of course she’s wrong!” Gregory Mama exclaimed, waving her hand dramatically. “This ignorant child has failed to remember I was with my failure of a son in the library!”

Gregory opened his mouth to protest but thought better of it. “As much as I hate to say it, Mama is right.”

Roulette Boy laughed. “Yeah, we all remember how bad a talking to you got in there!”

Gregory sighed and pulled his hand down his face. “I think we’d all like to forget what took place there, my friend. What is important is that we were indeed inside during the blackout’s duration.”

“Not all of it,” Sarah countered. “Remember, you two only encountered each other when Gregory Mama stumbled into the library after she awoke from her nap. That still leaves time unaccounted for by a witness for both of you.”

“Y-yes,” Steve seemed uncomfortable speaking up and was even turning a bit red now. “If they had been together from the start, C-Cactus Girl and I would have gone to look as soon as the blackout struck.”

“To some, that would have been preferred,” Hell’s Chef muttered as he awkwardly looked away from his neighbour and pulled up the collar of his coat.

As Cactus Girl turned a furious red and Steve spluttered in protest, Sarah couldn’t stop her eyes darting to Cactus Gunman, who swallowed and dragged his gaze back into empty space. A heavy weight fell on her chest, crushing a small part of her spirit.

Clock Master smiled sympathetically at Steve and Cactus Girl and spoke gently. “Don’t be embarrassed, you two. Every couple encounters this sort of thing at some stage.”

Cactus Girl sniffed. “I would rather not be encountering it now. There are more important things to worry about.”

Steve nodded in agreement, shrinking backwards, his shoulders rounded as he meekly fiddled with his fingers.

“I don’t know,” Devil Dog chimed as she grinned mischievously. “Frankly I’m not sure what’s more fun: talking about him screwing a cactus or watching you guys flail about to solve this case!”

Hell’s Chef turned his cold gaze upon her. “Stop it!”

“Is the big baby going to cry?” Roulette Boy teased ironically from his stool before cackling away once more.

“Yes, back to Sarah’s point,” Catherine coldly cut in Roulette Boy’s laughter as though he had never spoken. “I feel she has solid reasoning for her views and alibis have never failed in the past. However, begging, pleading and _yelling_ will get us nowhere!” Catherine paused and eyed Gregory Mama before continuing. “So if we all put our heads together, we can figure out who really is the culprit and take the blame off the innocent. If all of us have alibis, we’ll have to return to square one.”

“C-Catherine!” Clock Master gasped in surprise. “Why would you, one who is being accused, _encourage_ this search?!”

She sighed and replied seriously. “Because I know I didn’t do it, and there must be some proof for that we haven’t seen. Besides, it’s the only lead we have, and it may be right.”

“Wh-what are you saying?!” Gregory protested. “You-You really believe Sarah’s onto something here?!” He looked at Sarah with betrayal in his eyes, as though the implications of what his 'dear friend’ said had just hit him.

“Were you paying attention?” Catherine remarked cruelly.

Sarah avoided Gregory’s gaze altogether, feeling shame for shaking their bond.

“I-I can’t believe this! My dear friend, won’t you take my word for it?!” Gregory griped for freedom.

“If you really want to be innocent, you’d be using that thick skull of yours to prove it!” Gregory Mama snapped, fixing the rose in her hair.

Gregory whimpered and the trial fell to silence as everyone racked their brains. Monoputa yawned for emphasis.

“Come on people, speed it up! I’m getting bored here~!” Monoputa sang sinisterly as he kicked his legs. “Or else I might just start the vote now and you know what that means!”

“There’ll be another patient I can’t help…” Catherine murmured sombrely.

“My goodness!” Clock Master straightened up. “Not only am I the ruler of time, I am the ruler of alibis!”

“Spit it out,” Hell’s Chef grunted, folding his arms.

“If Catherine was on the second floor in her office, she couldn’t have murdered that poor feline!” Clock Master was ecstatic for his contribution. “The only way she could have gotten around was with that lantern Sarah found discarded on the first floor. There’s simply no way she could have safely found her way back to her office without becoming completely lost.”

“Unless she had luck and a _whooole_ lot of bruises!” Roulette Boy chimed.

“Whoever used that lantern definitely never left the first floor,” Sarah absent-mindedly stroked her ponytail as she thought. “Catherine is innocent.”

Catherine let out a sigh of relief. It felt nice to hear that she was in the clear.

“That still leaves _those two,”_ Hell’s Chef growled, his gaze fixed on Gregory Mama and Gregory.

“Don’t look at me like I’m some sort of _disease!_ And it was simply a stroke of _luck_ that Catherine got herself an alibi,” Gregory Mama scoffed. “It’ll take all of you oafs forever to possibly perceive one for me.”

Sarah couldn’t help feeling she had a point as she cast her gaze over the despairing faces.

“It has to be one of them,” Catherine asserted, brandishing the Monoputa File. “Neko Zombie’s strangulation wounds have nail marks! Both of them have sharp nails; it all adds up.”

Gregory and his mother both looked at each other, a mix of horror and distrust on their faces. Sarah swallowed; which one of them _was_ it?

Catherine sighed as she examined the photo more closely. “… but that’s as much as I can tell. There’s no way I could possibly measure this accurately.”

“It was _definitely_ Gregory!” Gregory Mama looked ready to claw her own son’s eyes out. “I could _never_ do something so brutish!”

“Excuse me, Mama, but I seem to recall you constantly hitting me with your cane,” Gregory glared right back at her. “Besides, weren’t you constantly complaining about all the noise Neko Zombie makes?”

_“You’re_ the one who always called him a mangy animal!” Gregory Mama spat. “I can tell just by how you looked at him that you _despised_ him!”

“Please stop talking about him like that!” Steve sobbed, biting onto his knuckle in a futile attempt to distract himself from oncoming tears.

“We’ve already had so many deaths, get used to it!” Roulette Boy shot unsympathetically. “Quit acting like a big baby!”

“Shut up,” Hell’s Chef turned up his nose at Roulette Boy. “This is a dead end. No matter how we look at it.”

A silence fell across the courtroom as everyone racked their brains for even the slightest evidence that could incriminate Gregory or his mother, but eventually their thoughtful faces turned to ones of devastation. Monoputa looked positively giddy at everyone’s resignation.

“Do we finally have a winner?” Monoputa exclaimed, leaning forward out of his seat. “Has a culprit _finally_ outsmarted all of you hopeless losers? I guess the third time _was_ the charm! Without evidence, you only have a 50/50 chance of getting it right! Are you willing to take that risk?”

The remaining survivors looked at each other in horror, their eyes begging a silent plea for this to be wrong. All the remaining survivors, except Devil Dog, who looked elated, like a child given chocolate.

“Does this mean I’m finally free of little goody two-shoes?” She asked no one in particular, swivelling her head around, searching for anyone’s input.

“Maybe,” Monoputa waggled his eyes at her invitingly. He looked down solemnly as he murmured: “though you’ll lose me too.”

Devil Dog was stunned into silence, her face conflicted, puzzled and horrified. Sarah, meanwhile, tried to take advantage of the situation. _We haven’t voted yet; there must be a way! There must be something!_

“Wait!” She cried desperately. “We can’t stop now! Someone must have something! Anyone?” Only Cactus Girl and Clock Master could stand to look at her, their expressions apologetic. Sarah’s voice cracked. “Gunman?”

At the sound of his name, the disheartened cactus looked up to meet her eyes. He was taken aback by the level of desperation being openly displayed. “Erm,” Gunman shoved his turmoil aside and scrabbled urgently for anything to aid her. “G-Gregory Mama couldn’t have done it… because of the glowing jars in her room!” He announced confidently as the inspiration struck like a flash of lightning. “She wouldn’t have needed that little lantern to get around in the dark, so _he_ must have been the one using it!” Gunman pointed dramatically at Gregory.

“Wh-what?!” Gregory looked at his mother. “Y-you have those… even here?”

Gregory Mama chuckled. “For once that insolent cactus is on to something. There’s the evidence we need to convict you!”

“YOU’VE GOT THAT WRONG!” Sarah exclaimed loudly, causing a few people to jolt. Perhaps the stress of the situation was affecting her more than she thought. “Sorry, but… Gunman, when we investigated Gregory Mama’s room, you and I both saw that the jars cast a minimal glow at best. If Gregory Mama was the culprit, getting around in the dark using and using that… she would hardly be able to find her way to the garden to retrieve the… instruments used.” She sighed and felt her heart sink. “Nice try though…”

Gunman stepped forward slightly, wishing there was some way he could have made a more accurate statement. “S-Sarah, I am sorry-”

“Don’t worry about it,” she folded her arms and brushed him off. “We really are doomed…”

“We’re at a stalemate once again, Gregory,” Gregory Mama noted sinisterly, playing with the rose behind her ear, ensuring it looked _perfect._ “But we _will_ find something to convict you. A man such as you could never pull off such a horrid task flawlessly.”

Gregory grabbed two fistfuls of his hair and made a pathetic noise of terror.

“W-wait…!” Steve raised his hand feebly. “I… I just-”

“If you’re gonna whine about Neko Zombie some more, save it,” Devil Dog thrusted her pitchfork at him. “We’re sick of you sniveling!”

“That’s not it at all!” Steve shook his head rapidly. “I just noticed something…”

“What did you notice?” Cactus Girl asked, leaning over to give him a wide-eyed, curious look.

“Gregory Mama…” Steve pointed a shaky finger at her. “That rose in your hair… it wasn’t there before the blackout…”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Gregory Mama flipped her hair. “You’re delusional with grief.”

“Steve… is right…” Cactus Gunman tilted up his hat as he looked at Gregory Mama with a critical eye. “I only announced that the roses were ready for taking just before the blackout… I brought one to Sarah, and there was barely any time before the lights went out. I could not tell anyone else.”

“I… I happened to wander through the garden before the lights went out! Yes, right as soon as you left!” Gregory Mama was practically oozing confidence, but Cactus Gunman wasn’t buying it.

“Senorita… if you were in the garden at the time, you would not have been able to make it to your room in the dark. Not without running into Sarah, Hell’s Chef, and I,” Cactus Gunman folded his arms.

“And you said you were napping in your room…” Sarah cut in. “Your room was… very clean, now that I think of it. The bedsheets were undisturbed.”

“I don’t toss and turn,” Gregory Mama wasn’t making eye contact with anyone, twirling her necklace around on a bony finger. “And I always straighten out my bed…”

“You keep conflicting yourself…” Steve ground his teeth and slammed a fist down on his podium. “You _were_ in the garden, that rose is proof enough of that! You weren’t in your room at all! You… you…” Steve swept his arm forward and pointed right at Gregory Mama.

“You killed Neko Zombie!”

Gregory Mama said nothing in response to that, lowering her head and gently pulling the rose out of her hair. She held out her palm, the flower right in the center of it, and after a pause, she murmured: “Well… aren’t we a little _genius?”_ She clenched her hand into a fist, completely crushing the flower, one petal drifting out of her hand and resting on the podium.

“Mama-you-what?!” Gregory sounded like a TV with a horrible signal as he struggled to find words.

“Is she admitting it?” Clock Master looked around the room, as if someone’s stunned expression would somehow hold the answer.

“Ooooh, this is gonna be good…!” Devil Dog bit her lip, fluttering her wings in anticipation.

“Why did you do this?” Steve looked at Gregory Mama, speaking through clenched teeth, his face streaked with tears. “Why did you murder Neko Zombie?!”

“Why do all of you always ask that?” Gregory Mama raised her head, revealing an unnervingly serene grin. “You always have to know the 'whys’ of these murders. Why not end my life and call it a night? I bet all of you are eager to get rid of me.” With that last remark, she gave her son the sweetest smile she could muster.

“I’m not letting Neko Zombie’s death be a big question for the rest of my life,” Steve shook his head, choking back a sob. “It’s going to be hard to hear, but I’m not voting until you tell us.”

Cactus Girl gave him a reassuring pat on the arm and he gave her a broken, but grateful smile. She squinted at Gregory Mama and nodded. “I am not voting until we hear the truth either.”

“Same here,” Sarah put her hands into her pockets.

“Yeah, I wanna hear how you killed 'em!” Roulette Boy bounced up and down with excitement.

Slowly, everyone else in the room claimed their refusal to vote until Gregory Mama told her side of the story, apart from Gregory, who had gone quiet and was busying himself by pushing his index fingers together.

Gregory Mama drew in an enormous breath before letting out a long, labored sigh. “Very well.” She clicked her nails on the podium. “I was made an offer that was _impossible_ to refuse.”

“By who?” Catherine asked, gazing suspiciously at everyone in the courtroom.

“Who do you think?” Gregory Mama tilted her head in Monoputa’s direction.

Monoputa giggled and rubbed the back of his tiny little neck. “Guilty~!”

“Hey, you said you weren’t working with the murderer!” Roulette Boy pouted up at Monoputa, who burst into a bigger giggling fit.

“I didn’t say that; I said I 'wasn’t saying anything,’ you little brat!” Monoputa flicked his veil. “This wasn’t a case of playing favorites. I simply chose someone who was the most likely to fall head over heels for what I was offering them.”

“Monoputa promised me an enormous supply of something I can’t live without,” Gregory Mama frowned at him. “Instead of the paltry two or three he usually gives me, he promised me all he could offer, which was quite the amount. All I had to do was euthanize a certain mangy cat. I was skeptical at first, but once he mentioned the blackout, I knew I would be unstoppable. He gave me the lantern, and I knew that making Neko Zombie look like he killed himself would be easy. Anyone who looked at him could tell he was completely depressed. I was surprised that all of you didn’t fall for it.” Her eyes flashed with a hint of anger, but her serene smile never left her face for even a moment. “He was so _easy_ to kill! He didn’t even struggle! I thought I would get off scot-free. Life is full of surprises…” After a sigh, her smile finally turned into a snarl. “Do you know what he said to me, right before I wrapped my hands around his little neck? He looked up at me and he said 'You do realize that if you get away with this, everyone else will die, right? Can you live knowing you murdered your son and all the others?’”

“H-he said that?” Steve covered his mouth, tears streaking down his cheeks.

“And of course I told him I could live with myself,” Gregory Mama dropped the crushed rose onto the floor. “After all, I’m above every single one of you. All of you are cowards; living every day looking over your shoulders in fear of death. Not me; I’ve laughed in the face of death for YEARS. I knew no one would dare to attempt to murder me. I’d be able to overpower any of them; fear doesn’t hold me back.”

Letting out a small chuckle, she leaned forward and added: “I wasn’t counting on all of you stupid _shits_ finding me out! My plan was _flawless!_ I should have thought my alibi through; I shouldn’t have picked this _goddamned_ rose!” She stomped on the petals, turning her foot and crushing them into dust. “Now I’m going to die. Are you happy with yourselves? I know not a single one of you is going to miss me; not even my son. He can’t even make eye contact with me.” Gregory Mama gave her son a patronizing pat on the head and he seized up. “What a _fool,”_ her voice cracked the slightest bit. “He doesn’t even give a damn about his loving mother.”

Sarah finally found her voice. “Monoputa… why did you want Neko Zombie dead?”

“That’s a seeeecret~” Monoputa waved her off. “So, are you suckers ready to vote?”

“You aren’t ever going to tell us what the reason is, are you?” Hell’s Chef narrowed his eyes with a sneer.

“Nope~! And since this case looks like it’s about wrapped up, it’s voting time~!” Monoputa jumped up and spun around on the spot like an elegant music box ballerina.

With those words, the chillingly familiar panel again appeared before them. Selecting carefully and accurately, the housemates all selected Gregory Mama, except she herself, who chose Gregory.

The tallied results appeared above them on a big screen, featuring a spinning slot machine. Gregory Mama’s wrinkled face glowered at them in high definition as it ground to a halt, the music cheering with a mountain of coins pouring out. The message “GUILTY! GUILTY! GUILTY!” flashed in eye-straining neon colors above the slot machine.

“Thaaat’s right!” Monoputa shot a big thumbs up. “The votes and her confession were 100% true! Gregory Mama murdered Neko Zombie! You all know what that means…!”

“Execution!” Roulette Boy whooped, fist pumping.

Monoputa pointed to him with a flourish. “Bingo, kid!”

“Looks like my time is up…” Gregory Mama gave one final smile to the courtroom. “All of you got lucky. I know you won’t succeed again, so… I’ll be seeing you all in Hell,” she finished with dignity as Monoputa slammed his gavel down on the bright red button.

As soon as Monoputa lifted his gavel once more, a previously hidden and well painted door opened in the wall, leading to a passage, as Sarah had become accustomed to seeing. However, she was shocked when two chains shot out and clamped themselves onto Gregory Mama’s ankles. She made a brief sound of indignant shock before being viciously yanked off her feet, smashing her face onto the front of her podium and rocketing back into the passage like a penguin in reverse. Wailing in distress with her robes shooting towards her face, revealing a little too much, Gregory Mama scrabbled at the floorboard with her murderous nails to no avail.

Giddy with glee, Monoputa gestured to a section of the wall which seemed to split in half and slide away, revealing a window to a room behind. What it held caused all the trial room’s inhabitants to gasp.

“Impressive, right?” Monoputa commented smugly. “Now keep watching. Let’s not miss out on the fun~!”

Sarah felt a wave of nausea as Roulette Boy ran and pressed his face against giant window. “Oh yeah! Can’t wait to see this!”

“For once, I agree with the both of you,” Gregory smirked as he strolled closer.

Wordlessly Devil Dog flew to Monoputa’s side, scoring a front row seat to the impending chaos.

The cold, iron chains heaved the screeching villain into the large room, packed with shelves. Releasing her mid drag, the chains returned to whatever location they originated from, causing her to fly uncontrollably into the wall opposite the entrance. The doors slammed shut with a loud bang, shaking the limitless objects resting on the shelves.

Raising her head, Gregory Mama observed her enclosure and her eyes boggled with astonishment. Shelves and shelves of souls.

She laughed. Laughed with relief, with shock, with confusion and with happiness. Soon, her wild emotions overpowered her and, dropping her air of regality, she jumped up and began scooping bottles into her arms, her eyes crazed like a madwoman.

“Just _think_ of how young and _beautiful_ I’ll be!” She cried, piling more and more of the treasure into her grasp. Spotting the window through which she could see her onlookers, she darlingly turned and confronted them. “You call _this_ comeuppance for murder, you imbeciles?! Ha!” She returned to collecting greedily.

“This is insane! How come she’s still alive?” Clock Master asked, baffled and afraid.

“Yeah, where’s the fun part?!” Roulette Boy whined.

“Shut up, brat! Look!” Devil Dog pointed to the floor within Gregory Mama’s chamber.

Reluctantly, letting her curiosity get the better of her, Sarah craned her neck upwards to see a green smog covering the floor of Gregory Mama’s compound. Unbeknownst to the witch herself, it was slowly spreading and spiralling around the room.

Monoputa giggled. “This gas is one of my own creation! It’s deathly poisonous and odourless!”

“I’ll be _gorgeous!”_ Gregory Mama ranted as the gas coiled up her leg. “I won’t _need_ that damn rose anymore! Not even Gregory can ruin this for me!”

Sarah covered her mouth in horror. There was no way to contact the poor, oblivious woman; no way to warn her about her impending fate she so crazily believed she escaped. Even if she could, what good would it do? She would simply be prolonging the nightmare, making Gregory Mama perish in fear and shame. _Perhaps this is the lesser of two evils…_ She crossed one of her arms to grip her other tightly and moved next to Gunman, seeking some form of comfort as the gas clawed it’s way up Gregory Mama’s neck.

“This truly is what I, what _everyone_ has been seeking! And it is _mine!_ ” Gregory Mama grabbed one of the shelves for support as she coughed and spluttered somehow pressing on her victory speech. “The key…! The key to…to eternal…” Her eyes began to water and her legs collapsed beneath her. She desperately saved herself by calling on her other hand to help keep her upright.. Sarah could hardly bare to watch as she noticed the added weight was causing the shelf to topple. “…life…”

_**CRASH!** _

_** ** _

That sickening sound rang out through the room, so loud it was barely stifled by the glass around the execution chamber. Everyone was struck silent, except for Devil Dog, who was quietly giggling with glee.

Gregory fell to his knees, his jaw agape and his face pale. Even though he sorely hated the woman who had perished before him, she had snatched a place deep in his heart he didn’t even know existed, until it was too late.

“N-no…” He breathed. “M-Mama…”

Sarah’s eyes burned as she took in the sight before her. Through the thick, green haze, all she could see, were two legs jutting out unnaturally from beneath the collapsed, broken shelf. Shattered glass littered the floor as though vandals had violated the scene and gashes peppered Gregory Mama’s exposed legs. Above the horrid scene of despair, souls floated in packs, clashing with each other and trying desperately to leave the awful scene before them.

“Oh-ho, the irony~!” Monoputa slapped his knee, having the time of his life. “And check out the look on Gregory’s face! Priceless with a capital P~!”

Sarah’s hands shook as she looked at the delighted Monoputa. She had thought that the first two murders would be the only ones, but no, there was a third. A murder committed out of malice and for one’s own self gain, with a murderer that barely felt an ounce of remorse.

Sarah felt her stomach tie itself into a Gordian knot as she realized that this trial put so many of her friends on edge. Cactus Gunman was stunned over what happened with Steve and his sister, and Gregory had just lost his entire family.

Swallowing a lump in her throat, Sarah did her best to choke back tears.

“Aww, is everyone feeling a bit emotional right now?” Monoputa darted from person to person, lingering at Gregory and Gunman. “Well, TOO BAD! The _one time_ the murderer had deliciously evil intentions, not a _hint_ of goddamn remorse and you’re _still_ crying about it!”

Roulette Boy puffed out his cheeks and folded his arms. “Hey, I’m not…”

“How many times do I have to say it?” Monoputa moaned as he drew nearer to the child. When he reached him, he swung his arm over his shoulder. “You all need to be like this kid, ahaha!”

Steve looked up at Monoputa and sniffled, his face pitiful and eyes shining with unshed tears.

“Ehehehe… All the easier for me! This level of despair… it's…” Monoputa’s arms dropped to his sides and his infatuated eyes turned to his sadistic companion, Devil Dog, “intoxicating…”

“Eeew…” Roulette Boy backed away from his lovestruck captor.

Monoputa slowly turned his head to Roulette Boy, his eyes wide and accusatory. “Or maybe not… But now, I have work to do~” Monoputa sang, perking himself up. “New motives to plan, blood to clean, so everyone out! Back to the elevator, before something else bad happens~!”

With apprehensive, drawn and defeated faces, the group shuffled to the elevator, escaping from this pit of despair. Sarah refused to head off unless Gunman was with her; she guided the dazed cactus so that they too were sheep, obeying the commands of their wolf tormentor.

Sarah felt Gunman’s grip on her arm tighten, and the Gordian knot in her stomach became even more tangled. There was no doubt in her mind that Monoputa was already cooking up something even more devious, something that would cause even more death and sadness.

Doing her best to blink back tears, an ugly, foreboding thought entered Sarah’s mind.

_What… what’s going to happen to us next?_

_**10 PEOPLE STILL ALIVE** _


	21. The Basement

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _I have no excuse for keeping you guys waiting so long, omg. I am so sorry. Haven’t been feeling so confident in my writing lately._   
>  _But the length of this chapter will hopefully make up for it! I hope you all enjoy~_   
>  _Illustrators this chapter are Lizzie, Lizzy, and Classo! They all did brilliantly, thanks guys!_

Sarah must have woken up at least ten times during the night, not being able to fall into a deep sleep. The knot that had settled in her stomach at the end of the trial kept getting worse and worse by the minute. She wondered if it would ever go away.

Sighing in defeat, accepting that no more sleep would come, she rolled over and glanced at the clock. It was nearing seven in the morning. She resolved that it was best to get up now; her friends would be doing the same by now. Dressing herself in her greasy clothes and smoothing down her hair into its usual ponytail, Sarah quickly slipped her favourite rose in her hairband before exiting.

After stepping into the hallway, she looked at the cold, steel door that once belonged to Neko Zombie and beyond, feeling a pang in her heart. It was still hard to believe that she’d never see any of their faces again. Recalling Steve’s promise to take care of Neko Zombie when they got out of the hotel and the incredible bond between Judgement Boy and his mentor, the pang in her heart became ten times more painful.

_Sorry we couldn’t save you…_ Sarah lowered her eyes and sniffled a bit. Wincing and squeezing her eyes shut, she turned on the spot and power walked away, wanting to distance herself from the deathly silent hallway. Tears stinging behind her eyes, Sarah rubbed them fiercely as she wrenched open the door to the lobby.

Away from the death and despair that was surrounding her, Sarah’s head began to clear and she spun around, resting her head on the refreshingly cold wood. She felt powerless, weak and incapable of coping with being unable to ever see her lost friends’ shining faces ever again. She smacked her fist against the door, trying to compensate for her turbulent feelings.

“U-um…” a quiet voice piped up from behind Sarah. “Are you okay…?”

Sarah suddenly felt her face turn twelve million shades of red. She whipped around and gave Steve a look of vague horror.

“I’ll take that as a no…” Steve brushed his bangs out of his eyes. “It’s okay that you’re upset, Sarah. Lots of people are…” Steve looked downcast. Sarah had no doubt in her mind that he was thinking of Neko Zombie. “I don’t even know if I can eat breakfast… but if I don’t at least try, Chef will probably punch me.”

Sarah couldn’t help letting out a little chuckle. “I take it Chef isn’t grieving?”

“Not even a little. I don’t think he has any emotions other than ‘angry’ and 'seething,’” Steve suddenly turned white. “Uh, I should stop. I don’t want him to overhear.”

Sarah nodded understandingly and her eyes darted to the dining room door as she contemplated a way to steer them inside. Her jaw dropped when she saw it was ajar with two burning red eyes boring into the back of Steve’s head.

“What’s wrong?” Steve asked, full of apprehension. He timidly followed her gaze and yelped, backing up a few steps. “I-I-I-I!”

“EAT!” Hell’s Chef roared, clenching the door handle so hard, Sarah thought is might mold to the shape of his hand. “GET IN. NOW.”

Steve made a noise like a kitten that got its tail stepped on before rushing into the dining room. Hell’s Chef turned his blood-colored gaze onto Sarah and growled: “You too.”

Sarah didn’t need to be told twice. She squeezed past Chef and saw that everyone had already taken their places in the dining room. Steve had sat down next to Cactus Girl, and Cactus Gunman was glaring at him from her other side. Sarah could clearly see that Steve was sweating bullets.

_Poor guy…_ Sarah shook her head as she made her way to the seat next to Gunman’s. _Out of one scary situation and into another._

“Hey,” Sarah gently punched Gunman in the arm, whispering so only he could hear her. “Lay off of him, at least for now. He has a lot on his mind.”

Cactus Gunman huffed a sigh, but he shrugged his shoulders right afterwards. “I can’t say no to you, senorita…”

Breakfast passed by slowly, only the slightest bit of small talk breaking the long silence. Roulette Boy, bored with how quiet everyone was, joked about Gregory Mama to lighten the mood which caused a stern glare from Clock Master and Gregory pushing his plate away, twisting on the spot and bending over. Sarah caught a quick glance at his remaining eye, noticing it was glazed with distress. From then on, silence ensued. Much to Hell’s Chef’s irritation, hardly anyone made a good dent in their meals. When he was fed up with watching everyone stare at their plates, he pushed himself up and began to collect them, muttering angrily.

“That was a great meal, Chef! Five stars!” Hell’s Chef heard as he passed by an empty seat.

He did a double take and his gaze settled upon Monoputa who waved cheerfully.

“Oh,” Hell’s Chef groaned, his shoulders tensing. _“You.”_

“That isn’t how you should respond to someone who just complimented your cooking,” Monoputa pouted, faking sadness.

“You didn’t even TASTE IT,” Hell’s Chef snarled, resuming his trek around the table.

“Don’t let _him_ bother you, Chef,” Catherine consoled as she handed him her plate. Sarah could practically see the hearts floating around her head. “As someone who _did_ taste your meal, I think it was… _ravishing.”_

“Then why did you hardly eat it?” He glared at her accusingly.

She giggled. “Oh, you!”

“But really, what’s brought you back?” Angel Dog asked Monoputa sternly, her hands on her hips.

“Oh nothing too special~” Monoputa kicked his legs up on the table, crumpling the table cloth. Hell’s Chef growled, his grip on Steve’s plate hardening as he trembled with rage. “Just the usual deal, hahaha!”

“Usual deal? Just spit it out already,” Cactus Girl blew a strand of hair out of her face, her arms folded impatiently.

“Well, if you insist~!” Monoputa straightened up and leaned over the table. “As always, when one of you morons kicks it via execution, more space is open to explore! I’ve come here to tell you just that!”

“More space?” Sarah parroted. “But, where else is there to go?”

“I’m glad you asked, Nancy Drew!” Monoputa hopped out of his chair and smiled her slyly, knowingly. “There’s more to this place than you think~…”

As everyone around the table exchanged puzzled, perhaps fearful, glances, Monoputa swaggered over to the door to the kitchen. His trip through to the other side was cut off as Hell’s Chef zoomed in front of him like a bullet train and shot through the doors.

“Hmph,” Monoputa fixed his windswept veil and looked over his shoulder. “Now that Tubby is done with the plates, everyone follow me to the garden.”

_“Finally!”_ Roulette Boy hollered as he hopped to the floor. “Something cool! Is the new place through some secret passage? Lemme see!”

As the child bolted through the doors, Sarah was surprised his guardian didn’t follow, rather, shake his head in a forlorn manner. As everyone slowly, resentfully began to depart, Sarah approached Clock Master curiously.

“I suppose you’re here to ask why I’m not following that Roulette Boy, hmm?” Clock Master smirked, spying her as she drew near.

Blushing, Sarah bit her lip. “Am I that easy to read?”

Clock Master waved her off. “Of course not; no one knows what goes on in that detective mind of yours! Although I _am_ quite good at reading people. But I’m not following the boy because not only is the trip very short, I don’t think he could get into that much unsupervised trouble.”

When they were the last few remaining, Clock Master chivalrously heaved open the door and motioned for Sarah to pass through. Flattered, Sarah obeyed, then smirked.

“Really? Are we talking about the same Roulette Boy here?” she snorted with disbelief.

“You raise a fair point!” Clock Master chuckled as he reunited with her. “But however much he may need my careful supervision, sometimes…” His gaze drifted over to Gregory, shuffling through to the garden with his head hung low. “… There are those who need it more.”

Winking knowingly at Sarah, Clock Master dashed in pursuit leaving her with a satisfied smile. Clock Master could be full of himself, but he was caring and certainly not Roulette Boy’s shadow.

Snapping out of her delightful haze, Sarah realised she was the last remaining person in the kitchen. Embarrassed at herself, she hurried through the doors and emerged into the waiting land beyond.

It was dim in the garden, as always, and surprisingly nothing had changed from before. She had half expected something to be different at the mention of the new area. In the distance, she could see Monoputa was surrounded by the waiting guests by the chained up, condemned-looking shed. He stood proud, tall and extravagantly, almost like a company spokesperson.

As Sarah neared the waiting crowd, she couldn’t help but feel a glimmer of joy upon seeing Clock Master by Gregory’s side, giving him a hefty pat on the back. Leaving the two be, she let her gaze travel for a companion. She smirked as she spotted Gunman with his sister and Steve, noting he was making a visible effort not to glare daggers at the poor boy, who clung to Cactus Girl’s arm for support and gently leaned his head on her shoulder. Sarah couldn’t help letting an 'aww’ escape from her rosy lips.

Besides those five, Roulette Boy was eagerly bouncing at the front of the audience, moaning for the show to start. A little ways off from him, Hell’s Chef and Angel Dog chatted together, the latter doing ninety percent of the talking. Sarah’s eyes softened as she spotted Catherine on her lonesome and resolved to join her.

Catherine brightened a bit when Sarah approached her. “Good morning again. Wow, you don’t seem the slightest bit nervous…” Judging by the way Catherine was twitching her tail, she wasn’t quite so fortunate in the nerves department.

“Oh, believe me, I am…” Sarah rested her hand on her stomach. “I feel like all my organs are doing backflips. That shed doesn’t exactly look promising.”

“You’re completely right…” Catherine clicked her tongue. “Is this shed really all we’re getting for our hard work on the trial? I highly doubt it has anything that we could use.”

“Hoo boy, are you wrong, nursey!” Monoputa hopped in the air, pointing a finger at Catherine and winking before landing back on his feet.

_How did he hear her?_ Sarah’s eyes widened in utter disbelief.

Monoputa pogoed into the air again. “I’ve got a great big new world for you; you know the rules! As soon as one of you guys kicks the bucket in a trial, you get a nice new place to play!”

“We knoooow!” Roulette Boy gave Monoputa a pout of epic proportions. “Just show us already!”

Monoputa blew him an equally incredible raspberry and drew out a dull key of similar colour to the padlock on the shed. “Hold onto your spinner, short stuff, I’m getting there!”

Spinning around with the grace of a thousand ballerinas, Monoputa unlocked the padlock with a swift _click!_ and let the chains fall to the floor in a heap.

“Gather your wits and your skirts, ladies, because this will blow you away!” Monoputa grinned cheekily, whipping the door open inwardly.

There was a collective gasp as everyone struggled to comprehend what lay before them.

“Unreal!” Roulette Boy exclaimed, his voice cracking.

“You have got to be kidding…” Sarah heard Catherine mutter.

While Sarah heard other similar comments, she herself had no words. The stone shed opened up to a flooring similar in design, connected to a staircase that descended into the ground’s mysterious and dark depths. Sarah couldn’t quite get a good look from her position, but what she could gather was the stairs themselves were wooden and quite a dark shade of red; not at all inviting.

“Bet you bastards didn’t see _that_ coming! Ahahahaha!” Monoputa fell back onto his butt, his laughter practically shaking the trees. “The looks on your faces! Absolutely classic!”

“We get it. Are you done now?” Angel Dog wasn’t having another second of Monoputa’s insolent taunting.

“Yeah, I’m done,” Monoputa posed with his hands on his hips. “All of you are free to explore, you know the drill!” He scooted to the side and gestured to the stairs like an enthusiastic game show host. “As for what’s there to see… you’ll have to figure it out for yourselves!”

“This isn’t some elaborate trap, is it?” Clock Master squinted at Monoputa, who let out an enormous belly laugh.

“Me? Make an elaborate trap?” Monoputa reeled back. “Oh, you wound me! I thought you thought better of me than this… I’d much rather have you guys murder each other! I don’t want my lovely execution machines to go to waste! That’s no fun~!”

_There is sense in that logic, despite how twisted it is,_ Sarah concluded. _I suppose we’ll have to trust him on this, for now._

“We’ll I’ll take your silence as consent, and now _I’ll_ take my leave!” Monoputa bowed elegantly. “Happy exploring, go kill each other, yadda yadda! See you around!”

In the few seconds after Monoputa vanished, there was silence in the garden. Is was cold and still; no breeze blew. They were all immobilised by the yawning darkness they must brave.

“… I don’t like the dark…” In the stillness, Roulette Boy’s words were as loud as a shout.

“W-well, seester, i-in a situation such as this, you should have your brave brother by your side,” Gunman proposed.

“Big brother, your knees are knocking,” Cactus Girl motioned to them, looking at him with pity and embarrassment.

Cactus Gunman gasped, firmly grasped her hand and dragged her towards the recently opened shed. “Come, let us explore together!” he said hurriedly as his vanished into the dark.

After they had taken the first plunge, everyone began to disperse, murmuring to each other about pairing up and traversing into the heart of darkness. Sarah took her own initiative, approaching Steve.

“Wanna check out the new place with me?” Sarah asked, feeling an awful lot like she was in high school again, desperately searching for an acceptable lab partner. After her usual investigation buddy ran off with his sister, she was honestly at a loss.

_Thank God Steve’s around… but…_ Sarah’s forehead crinkled with worry as she read Steve’s dread-filled expression. _He isn’t looking too good._

“Y-yeah, why not? I’d have to go down there eventually, I’m sure…” Steve gave Sarah a wan smile, pushing his pointer fingers together. “Plus Gunman isn’t so mean to me when you’re around…” he added under his breath.

“What was that last part?” Sarah asked, tilting her head to the side.

“U-uh, nothing important!” Steve held up his hands, a sheepish grin crossing his pale face. “Let’s go!”

He started stumbling forward towards the staircase, but he was stopped in his tracks when he felt a small hand grab onto his pant leg. His widened eyes looked down to see Roulette Boy, with his lower lip jutting out and tears in his eyes.

“I’m not going in the dark all by myself,” Roulette Boy’s grip on Steve’s khakis tightened. “I’m going with you guys, I decided!”

After looking warily at Roulette Boy, Steve gazed at Sarah for approval. She sighed, but gave a curt nod.

“YESSSS!” Roulette Boy pumped his free hand in the air. “Come on, let’s go!” He hopped in the air, his spinner whirling around in his excitement.

_That’s all it takes to get him to stop being scared, huh?_ Sarah resisted the urge to shake her head as she watched Roulette Boy hum and bounce around. Roulette Boy really _was_ just a little kid.

As the three of them headed down the stairs, Roulette Boy took hold of Sarah’s hand, squeezing it much too tightly. Much more surprisingly, Steve grabbed Sarah’s other hand, and she could have sworn she could hear him grinding his teeth.

Fortunately, once they reached the end of the staircase, they came to a large empty room lit by a single wooden chandelier. The walls were made of compact stone and wooden struts occurred at regular intervals. For extra reinforcement, wooden struts were also placed throughout the room. The chandelier only held a miniscule total of four candles, making the room rather dim and Roulette Boy instinctively draw closer to his companions.

“Are you scared, Roulette Boy?” Sarah asked, feeling his tiny little fist close around the fabric of her skirt as they walked along.

“Nuh-uh…” Roulette Boy shook his head, but his voice was soft and shaky.

Despite refusing to admit his feelings, he clung tighter as the walls groaned. Sarah gently rested her hand upon his roulette wheel.

“I-It’s so dark and empty… Which way do we go?” Steve broke the silence timidly.

Straining her eyes in the darkness, Sarah could make out four darker patches in the brooding gloom. She gritted her teeth in annoyance.

“I wish I had some eyedrops; I can’t see anything in here!” She took a step forward in the vain hope that would make things clearer and instantly the small figure beside her jumped to catch up.

“M-Monoputa probably did this on p-purpose,” Roulette Boy muttered softly. “That jerk…”

Steve couldn’t help feel a shred of sympathy at this time too, deciding to come forward and place a reassuring hand on his shoulder, which made Roulette Boy jump and shoot Steve a distrustful glare. One of the darker patches Sarah could spy was just to her left. Cautiously, she reached out an arm to touch it. It felt cold and metallic under her touch so she grazed her fingers over the surface. Finally, she hit what felt to be a door handle. Smiling with satisfaction, she told the others of her discovery.

“So all those other spots are doors too?” Roulette Boy inquired.

At a pleading look and a head gesture from Sarah, Steve scouted the perimeter of the room.

“W-well, there are two other doors, but there’s also an alcove here. Nothing’s in it…” Steve shot them a puzzled look.

“That’s not going to help us explore, so we might as well leave it. How about this door?” Sarah tapped the one by her side and Roulette Boy nodded a bit too eagerly.

“Yeah! Let’s do it already!” He practically shoved the poor girl into its steel frame and she quickly, reflexively, pushed open the door.

Hearing a yelp and a flurry of footsteps, Sarah gathered Steve had rejoined them and pushed on ahead. The hall that stretched out before them was uninviting to say the least and candles lined the walled at intervals into the darkness ahead, swallowing up their light. However fast Sarah wanted to proceed, her progress was inhibited by Roulette Boy’s miniscule paces.

After some travel, and taking a turn that lead right back to the start, the three eventually wound up before a set of big red double doors.

“These seem… ominous…” Steve nervously chewed on a thumbnail, looking up at the towering doors.

“I don’t know what that means, but if it means 'super duper cool,’ I agree!” Roulette Boy’s fear melted away and he looked up at Sarah with glimmering eyes. “Let’s go in!”

Sarah reached forward and pushed the doors open. Almost instantly, she was nearly blinded by a colorful, well-lit room.

“HOLY GUACAMOLE!” Roulette Boy squealed and ran into the room before Sarah and Steve could even process what had happened.

“This is… a lot less scary than I thought it would be…” Steve admitted.

Roulette Boy had flopped over on the carpet in a fit of excited bliss, sighing “This is where I’m meant to be…”

Sarah could hardly disagree. The room’s oppressive black walls created a seemingly endless void, but the neon lights strung up all over the room like ribbons made it somewhat enticing. Everywhere there was games and toys all rimmed with the stuff. Neon hopscotch, neon drawings on the floor and walls and even a bright toy chest. Some of the toys, however, had Sarah frowning with disapproval. The Wimp Brigade action figures Roulette Boy was diving to had scarily pointy weapons, the toy soldiers had a functioning miniature tank and bayonets and the fake swords didn’t look too fake at all…

“Be careful!” Sarah lunged forward and attempted to grab the toys away from Roulette Boy. “Those seem dangerous!”

“Hey!” He looked like he had been personally offended as he hastily moved his arms out of the way and snarled. “Lay off! Those are _my_ toys!”

“Look, I’m just trying to protect you,” Sarah reasoned, adding Roulette Boy’s glare to the list of dangerous things within the room.

“But the real guns and swords are what make it _fun!”_ Roulette Boy clasped his hands together in delight. “It makes them more _realistic,_ you know?”

“What if you accidentally hurt someone with these? Or yourself?” Sarah wasn’t giving up on taking the toys from Roulette Boy. Now that she was closer, she could see just how glintingly sharp the blades were. She wouldn’t be able to grab those away violently unless she wanted to lose a finger…

“I-if you hurt someone…” Steve pushed his fingers together, staying a safe distance away. “Even by accident… something b-bad could happen to you. Remember the rules…”

Roulette Boy puffed out his cheeks at Steve for a few moments before sharply exhaling and slumping his shoulders. “… yeah, you’re right. I don’t wanna die!” He shoved the toys into Sarah’s arms (and luckily didn’t slice any major arteries open) and whirled around. “Besides, there’s plenty more in here to play with, hehehe!”

Sarah heaved a sigh of relief and exchanged an optimistic glance with Steve.

“Hey, look at this!” Roulette Boy was in a crawling position on the floor, studying the hopscotch outline. “Doesn’t _this_ look fun?” He laughed with glee as he got up and played, making tiny, effective bounces. “You gonna try and confiscate this too?”

Sarah couldn’t help smirking at that one. As she moved to put the potentially deadly toys in the toybox, she felt a pang of pity for the lonely child. This giant room would only be used by him alone.

As the lid of the toybox shut once more, Steve let out a small contented sigh. “Oh good… Those were really worrying me.”

Suddenly, a wild, anguished wail of rage louder than a siren pierced the eardrums of the rooms inhabitants, causing them to freeze in place. Roulette Boy, who was mid jump, lost his focus and fell down in a heap.

As the gigantic wail subsided, softer wails began to echo throughout the room. Terror running rampant in his eyes, Steve somehow regained control of his limbs and sprinted to Sarah at the speed of light. Sarah felt his constricting grip on her shaking arm and shuffled closer.

“What was that?” Steve breathed almost inaudibly.

“I don’t know… But let’s not assume the worst, okay?” Sarah did her best to soothe him as Roulette Boy feigned a gag behind them. “Regardless of what it is, we should investigate. We’ve spent enough time in here anyway.”

“Seriously?” Roulette Boy pushed himself to his stubby feet. “I could stay in here for days! I’d rather be in here than with whatever that was…”

“You can stay here if you want,” Frankly, Sarah was glad Roulette Boy had a place to enjoy himself. She hoped he’d be less likely to bother Cactus Gunman if he was in a good mood. “Just don’t touch those dangerous toys, okay?”

“Okie dokie!” Roulette Boy bounced joyously. “There’s plenty of other stuff for me to play with, anyways!”

With that, he returned his attention back to the neon hopscotch, happily singing as he bounced: _“Lizzie Borden took an axe, gave her mother forty whacks, when she saw what she had done, she gave her father forty-one~!”_

Steve gave Roulette Boy a quick, nervous look before turning back to Sarah. “We better go see what that was…”

Sarah nodded in agreement and the two of them headed into the hallway.

It didn’t take them long to find the source of the wail. To the right, they could see the all too familiar glow of a candle in the darkness, moving sporadically, each jerk backwards punctuated with an angry grunt.

As they got closer, they could see that Hell’s Chef was struggling with a door handle, pulling with every ounce of muscle in his enormous body to no avail.

“Chef, what’s wrong?” Sarah asked, and his head snapped toward her, his glowing eyes narrowed to angry red slits.

“I CAN’T. OPEN. THE DOOR!” He howled, punctuating each word longer than three letters with extra emphasis.

Steve, cowering behind his arms, squeaked, “D-do you want h-h-help?”

“Tch, you wouldn’t BE any help! I’ve cooked things bigger than you are!” After snapping at Steve, Hell’s Chef resumed tugging on the door.

“Why do you want to get this open so badly?” Sarah asked, squinting in the darkness for any sort of clue.

Hell’s Chef glanced over his shoulder and gave a look of intense frustration. “I want to _escape!_ This door might let me… RAGH! OPEN!” He gave it one more violent tug and the door shook on it’s hinges before sliding into place once more.

“RRRRRAGH!” Echoed down the halls at the speed of light and Sarah and Steve found themselves huddling together for comfort.

_When Chef gets like this, it’s best to leave him. Who knows what trouble we’ll be in if we get too close._ The moment those words entered her mind, a new shape had appeared in the dull light. That size and shape could only belong to one person…

“STOP! _STOOOP!”_ Monoputa raced over to Hell’s Chef and tugged on his pant leg frantically. “Geez, you whiny baby…”

Seeing who it was in crystal clear light under his flame, Hell’s Chef dropped his arms heavily and stiffly turned to face his potential punching bag. _“What?”_

“Now listen once and listen closely, alright?” Monoputa waved Hell’s Chef nearer and he leant down resentfully. “You ready, tubby? NOT ALL DOORS OPEN, YOU BASTARD! THERE ARE THESE THINGS CALLED 'LOCKS!’” Monoputa’s words were so forceful that Chef’s flame flickered.

All of Hell’s Chef’s veins nearly popped due to pure rage, but he knew very well that he couldn’t attack Monoputa without digging his own grave. All he could do was clench his fists very, very hard and hiss out: “I knew that…!”

“Evidently not!” Monoputa winked, flicking his veil in Hell’s Chef’s direction.

“But elsewhere in the house we’ve had free reign,” Sarah finally spoke up with a hint of confidence now that Hell’s Chef was restrained. “Why is here so different?”

Monoputa looked away suspiciously. “Listen here, toots, there are some things in this house not meant for your eyes… You’d EXPLODE!”

Steve let out a stifled wail and Sarah placed her hand on his shoulder. Hell’s Chef on the other hand was clenching his fists tighter and tighter…

“Anyway, if you want me to spell it out for you three, this place is off-limits! And there may be more rooms like this!” Monoputa eyed his 'companions’ warningly. “Now run along, tell your friends! And don’t try to bust down my doors, or _else!”_ At that last word, he glared at Hell’s Chef before vanishing without a trace.

Hell’s Chef promptly whirled around and began pounding his fists into the wall, yelling in anger.

“Sarah, let’s go. NOW,” Steve tugged on her wrist urgently. He didn’t have to tell her twice. The two of them jogged down the hallway, leaving Chef to stew in his Prompter-stoked rage.

On a unanimous agreement, the two traversed past the playroom where they had left their unfaithful companion Roulette Boy and their path of entrance into a long winding hallway. After finding a staircase that lead upwards, they were stopped by a large metal grate. Beyond it lay the first floor of the hotel, and Sarah could spy the lounge and Poor Conductor’s old room. With effort from shaky limbs, they hoisted the grate up and locked it away, leaving the basement more accessible than ever. Sarah and Steve came to the conclusion there was more to be found as many of their friends were still not found, and returned to the room that was their first point of entry.

“So, we’ve explored one whole side of the basement…” Sarah recounted as she and Steve pondered their next move. “And we went through those two doors… Which leaves just that one?”

Steve glanced at the indicated door apprehensively. “I can’t believe so many of us all picked the same one… Can you go first?”

Sarah sighed, but with an endearing smile. She swung open the remaining door to find a passage to the right, which then branched off in two directions. As they neared, they saw a doorway right at the very beginning of one of the paths. Shrugging at each other, Sarah cautiously peeled it back, only to be blinded by pristine white light and a chirpy voice.

“Hey Sarah! Oh, and Steve! Good to see both of you!” Angel Dog remarked sweetly. “Isn’t this room perfect?”

Sarah’s eyes slowly adjusted and she could finally see what lay within. Sparkling clean white walls and floor, complemented with rows of shining washing machines and dryers. A table sat in the centre of the room, with a rack of magazines nearby for passing the time. The candlelight reflected stunningly off all the white furniture, giving clear daytime-like light, beauty to Sarah’s eyes. At the table sat well-groomed Angel Dog and elegant Catherine, reading beauty and wonder magazines respectively. The soothingly familiar sound of working washing machines hummed in the background.

“It’s nice to relax and forget about everything for a while,” Catherine sighed, resting a hand against her cheek. “There’s a whole magazine rack over there, they have everything you could possibly imagine!”

“What’s that one about?” Steve asked, smiling sheepishly.

“All of these amazing, paranormal things that we can’t see because we’re stuck in here,” Catherine stuck out her forked tongue for a moment, rolling her eyes. “But reading about it is the next best thing, I suppose. Hey, Sarah, check this hunk out. He’s a teacher at a school for wonders in the making. Isn’t he a _stud?”_ She flipped the magazine around to show Sarah a skeletal saber tooth tiger man, his face displayed on a TV monitor surrounded by bones cobbled together in a cruel, twisted mockery of a body.

Sarah’s eyebrows flew up to her hairline. “Uh, I suppose… if you like televisions.”

Catherine tsk-tsked, turning the magazine back towards her. “More for me!” she giggled.

“We just cleaned our clothes up,” Angel Dog gestured to the washing machines and dryers that lined the wall. “We feel _worlds_ better. And, um, not to be insulting or anything, but you guys might want to clean your clothes soon too…” Angel Dog twirled her pink fur around a finger.

Sarah chuckled. “We’ll do that later on. We’re doing a survey of this floor to see if there are any clues that could help us get out of here.”

“Ah!” The sun rose in Catherine’s eyes as she put her magazine down. “Cactus Girl came by earlier to say she found a room with a lot of interesting stuff in it. A lost and found, she said it was? I bet there’s something useful there!”

“Leave it to her to find something like that…” Steve blushed a bit, looking down at the floor.

“Yeah, you guys should go check it out!” Angel Dog folded her hands under her chin, her wand between them, sprinkling glitter all over the magazine she was reading. “Let me know if you find Chef, too! I’m not sure what he’s gotten up to, I’m kind of worried.”

“Uh, he’s sort of…” Steve pushed his fingers together, struggling to find the right words. “… having a fit right now. He had a fight with a locked door.”

“When we left him he was punching a wall…” Sarah scratched the side of her face, wondering if they should have left Chef on his own.

Angel Dog’s smile quickly turned into a concerned frown and she flew out of her seat and out the door after a quick “SEE YOU LATER!”

Catherine shook her head as she watched Angel Dog go. “You’d think she was his mother… anyway, if you find anything in the lost and found, let me know.” Catherine smiled sweetly at Sarah. “You have a knack for finding things, after all.”

Sarah blushed at the compliment. “Don’t forget Steve! We wouldn’t have made it through that last trial without him.” It was Steve’s turn to blush.

Catherine nodded solemnly and wished them luck as the two parted.

In the hall once more, Steve and Sarah weren’t travelling long until they encountered a new door. This one, as opposed to the regular rectangle, was arched at the top, and had an arched window as well, with fancy engravings.

“This looks too… extravagant to be the lost and found,” Steve nervously rubbed the back of his head.

Bravely, Sarah stood on her the tips of her toes and peered through the window. Inside was a humourous, fun room with toys lining the shelves every which way. Gregory and Clock Master stood at a bench with a half black-half white vending machine, chatting idly.

“I’m not going to lie, I want to see inside!” Sarah honestly felt a little excited. All of those shelves filled up with so many interesting things… maybe she could find something to help keep her mind occupied. Reading was fun, but it would be nice to get some variety.

Steve glanced down the hall but smiled eagerly. “I suppose lost and found can wait.”

Glad to have Steve on board, Sarah’s heart raced as she swung open the new door jauntily. Now nearer than ever, she could get a closer look at the commodities that had attracted her attention and the workings of the store within. At the back of the room was a small counter, probably only big enough for a prompter to run. The room was literally teeming with goods wall to wall, minus the one with the bench, holding a black and white vending machine. Among the goods for sale, Sarah spied a freaky-looking brown horned mask with daunting teeth and hearts and dollar signs with slight bloodstains. Her heart fell as she saw two of each of the latter options, knowing exactly where they had come from. Forcing the thought from her mind and placing a smile on her face, she approached Gregory and Clock Master, who welcomed her and her companion eagerly.

“How nice to see that you were able to brave the dark, my friend!” Gregory said with a smile to Steve. Sarah couldn’t help wondering if that was a dig… even if it was, she was relieved to see Gregory was at least doing a little better. Even if he was faking it, it was nice to see him smile.

“Can you believe this place, Sarah?” Clock Master adjusted his tie, his full lips spread into a grin. “They have a whole shelf of imported alcohol! Stuff you can’t get in the bar upstairs! I feel spoiled.”

“Please go easy,” Sarah shook her head. It was a miracle Clock Master’s constant benders haven’t gotten him killed.

Clock Master ignored that little comment, which Sarah honestly should have expected. “And this vending machine is _amazing!”_ Clock Master gestured to it. “Monoputa came in here earlier and told us how it works. You just put in something you own and you get something back! It’s an exchange. You can purchase the stuff in this store the same way.”

“I still don’t see why you’d want to use your valuables on this machine,” Gregory absent-mindedly tapped a finger on the top. “There’s no guarantee you’d get something good. You could get something that was just _terrible.”_

“But that’s the fun of it!” Clock Master laughed.

Gregory shook his head, but decided not to argue further.

Sarah couldn’t help herself; her curiosity was piqued. “Where do you put the thing you want to exchange?”

Clock Master pointed to a little hatch on the front of the machine. “Here, apparently.”

Sarah rooted around in her pockets and found nothing but lint. _Technically, I could put the rose in my hair in, but… that would be mean._ Sarah adjusted it so it sat better. _It’s dying, but I want to keep it until it dries up._

Steve followed Sarah’s example and started a bit when he felt in his back pocket. “Oh yeah, I have this…” Steve pulled out a red handkerchief. “I’ve had this since the first day I arrived here, but… I never found much use for it.”

“Use it, then! By all means!” Clock Master stepped aside and gestured to the machine. Gregory did his best to look profoundly disinterested, but Sarah noticed that his eye kept flitting over to the vending machine.

Steve tentatively approached the machine, holding the handkerchief out to it. When he neared the hatch, the machine jumped up, opening the hatch up like a mouth. It snatched the handkerchief out of Steve’s hands quite violently and Steve let out a squeal of surprise. Gregory covered his mouth to suppress a snicker.

The machine shook for a few moments before a capsule came rolling out of the bottom of it. Just like the machine itself, this capsule was half black, half white and was sealed tightly shut. Grasping it tightly, Steve twisted it with all his might and it broke apart. Everyone peered over excitedly to see the mystery prize. A small slip of paper lay delicately on an item below. Steve fumbled for the paper and read aloud “everlasting bracelet”.

What was beneath the paper was indeed a bracelet, beautifully painted with the colours of the rainbow. A lovely, big pink heart rested at its centre and a warm smile spread across Steve’s contented face.

“Aww, Steve, that’s really sweet!” Sarah tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear as she leaned forward to get a better look. Quite frankly, she was surprised something like that could come out of something Monoputa created.

“I agree!” Clock Master gave another belly laugh. “You should give it to that lovely girlfriend of yours!”

Gregory, on the other hand, let out a malicious chuckle. “I told you you’d just get garbage. What an effective scam, hehehe…”

Steve chose to ignore Gregory. Beaming at Clock Master, he pocketed the bracelet. “Good idea. I’ll save this for when I find her.”

“Speaking of which, do you guys know where the lost and found is?” Sarah tilted her head. “We heard she was over there.”

Clock Master nodded and nudged her. “And with her brother!”

Sarah turned bright red as Gregory chuckled. “He was rather excited to explore with her, I will say. I heard the two stomp past here. He was saying something about wanting to find his guns… I wonder who took them, hehehe…”

“If he’s desperate to find them, then they’re probably still in the lost and found,” Sarah reasoned aloud. Turning to Steve, a grin crossed her face. “Let’s go; I want to be there when you give that to Cactus Girl.”

It was Steve’s turn to flush tomato-red and he nodded shyly, tucking the bracelet in his now empty pocket.

The two started for the door and Clock Master waved farewell. “This old timer wishes you well on your conquest for love!”

“I hope you don’t let it distract you too much,” Gregory gave his signature dark chuckle.

The humans’ faces were on fire as the shot into the safe freedom of the empty hall. The two shot each other uncomfortable glances before wordlessly starting back down their route. They were hardly surprised when not even half a minute had passed before they encountered another regular, dull steel door.

“Guess we’re back to the way it was before,” Steve ventured as he gripped an elbow apprehensively.

“Monoputa probably made _only_ that room inviting to attract people like Clock Master,” Sarah grimaced at his relish for exploitation. “In a place like this, he wouldn’t have to try too hard.”

“Then…this door could lead anywhere?” Steve’s pupils grew and he bit his lip.

Offering a comforting hand on his shoulder, Sarah smiled reassuringly. “Nothing down here has been bad so far. Now fingers crossed this is the lost and found.”

A tiny smile formed on Steve’s face and out of the corner of her eye, Sarah saw he did just that. Sarah, too, mentally crossed her fingers and squeezed her eyes shut as she gave the door a big _heave!_

“Hm? Ah, senorita! …And… friend,” Gunman’s disappointment rang through the halls.

_Yesssss!_ Sarah silently cheered, unable to stop a giddy smile from blooming. _I just hope the guys will get along…_ She and Steve shuffled inside and took a glimpse of their surroundings. Unlike the massive boxes that lay beyond reach in the garden, in here only small possessions were placed. The candles lining the walls had to be especially high up as there were so many trivial items that it was practically a mountain at the back of the room. Among the homeless belongings was a small green die with gold rims, a damaged, old remote, and a red-haired doll that looked eerily familiar.

“Brother! Did you have to be so cruel?” Cactus Girl scolded. “Steve has never hurt anyone!”

Gunman indignantly resumed rummaging through the pile, paying the others no mind.

Cactus Girl approached the two, looking downcast. “I am sorry about him. He has been very upset since the trial, and losing his guns has put him on edge.” She assumed a charming smile and proceeded earnestly. “However, it is very good to see you! Has your exploration been going well? We have spent quite a lot of time here and are yet to see much…”

Sarah glanced at Gunman to see he was practically blocking them out, then nodded understandingly. “I can see why. But we’ve done a good deal of exploration so far. I’m glad there is finally a laundry room, but I’m not sure that new store is such a good idea.”

“A new store?” Cactus Girl echoed. “What’s in there?”

Steve jumped a little as Sarah nudged him, signalling his cue. “O-oh! Well, there is lots of merchandise in there and a small black and white vending machine-”

“Black and white?” Cactus Girl interrupted, looking somewhat disgusted. “I bet I know who put that device in there… It could be dangerous, right?”

“Uh, w-well, we know it’s not. I…I kinda tested it,” Steve absentmindedly scratched the back of his head.

“What?!” Cactus Girl’s face was riddled with concern. Not missing a beat, with a shaky hand, Steve delved into his pocket and brought out the bracelet. Her face instantly transformed into one of wonderment, awe and love. “S-Steve…”

“Th-this is wh-what the mach-chine gave me,” Steve stammered. “I c-can’t think of a-anyone better to give it to.”

Cactus Girl delicately took the gift in her hand and slipped it over her wrist. Sarah couldn’t help but be touched by the display before her; it was simply adorable! “I will treasure it forever…”

_“HEY!”_ All of a sudden, Cactus Gunman stopped his noisy rummaging, and glared at the couple. “What are you- Que?” His lips parted as he looked at a new find. “This is…”

“Did you find something?” Sarah’s voice shook. She didn’t want an argument to start up right here and now, and was desperate to keep the topic on that tangent.

Admittedly, she was a bit hesitant to climb over the piles of junk, but she was also more than a bit curious about what pacified Gunman. Fortunately she didn’t have to, as she spotted a green shape working its way over to them. When he neared, the embarrassed three saw, in the cactus’ prickly grip, a small, shining sheet of paper. When Gunman held it up for all to see, Sarah realised it was actually a glossy photograph. Steve gasped in shock.

The photo displayed Neko Zombie’s room and a careful Steve delicately winding a red handkerchief over a throbbing red inflammation on Neko Zombie’s foot. Steve’s photographic face was innocent and pure, full of compassion and deep care for his friend; while on the other hand, Neko Zombie looked somewhat reluctant to be babied. Upon closer inspection, Sarah identified a hint of a grateful smile, though the cat did a superb job at hiding it.

_Did Monoputa secretly snap this photo some time before the last trial?_ Sarah wondered. _If that was the case, how did Steve get the handkerchief back?_

“Wh-what…?” Tears began to well up in Steve’s horrified eyes and he stepped back. “Th-that…! No!”

“Steve? Are you okay?” Cactus Girl asked worriedly. She, too, saw no explanation for Steve’s concern.

He shook his head vigorously. “Th-that…never happened!” He searched their faces earnestly for some sign that this was a joke.

Gunman was downright puzzled and frowned at Steve. “What? Steve, we have the photo of you right here. How could this have never of occurred?”

“You’re right!” Monoputa sprung up behind Gunman who let out a terrified shriek. In his moment of fear, Monoputa snatched the photo as quick as a flash. “You didn’t see _aaaanything…”_ He whispered hauntingly as he vanished, taking the mysterious photograph with him.

“What on earth was that?” Cactus Girl was completely baffled. So many questions had been raised!

“I-I don’t know! But I’m telling you I never did that!” Steve insisted.

“…He’s right.” Sarah realised. “Remember what you said to me back in the store, Steve?”

_“Oh yeah, I have this…” Steve pulled out a red handkerchief. “I’ve had this since the first day I arrived here, but… I never found much use for it.”_

“See?! I really _didn’t_ do that!” Steve dropped to his knees and wailed. “What is going on?”

Cactus Girl glanced at her bracelet, then knelt down to give Steve as much comfort as she could. Sarah and Gunman exchanged fearful looks. He seemed too scared, too confused and horrified to stop his sister. After what seemed like an eternity of confused agony, Sarah dragged herself out of her mental fog.

“We… we shouldn’t dwell on that too much now. Let’s focus on other things. Perhaps… it will make sense later.”

“Y-yeah…” Steve murmured as Cactus Girl helped him up. “Let’s…get back to exploring.”

As he dragged his feet over to the exit, Sarah heard a whisper of “stay strong, senorita” in her ear.

Meeting Gunman’s gaze, she smiled and muttered in return. “You too. Good luck finding your guns.”

Within moments, Steve and Sarah were back in the foreboding hallway. It had never seemed darker or more mysterious. Three hallways spread out before them into the unknown.

Steve grasped Sarah’s hand with his own, and the two close friends headed down the middle passage. What came next was a crazy maze of passages. They ended up back at Lost Property more than once, in the left hand passage, as opposed to the centre, and even hit a dead end. Wondering if there truly was anything to be found in this area, the two meandered around, finally stopping as Steve let out a stunned gasped.

“There’s more?” He groaned weakly. “What else is there to see?”

Indeed he was right. Before the two of them was a descending staircase blocked by a steel grate. This one was locked firmly in place, with no key in sight.

Sarah shrugged, exhausted from all the confusion the day had brought. “Monoputa is full of tricks, I’m sure he has something here. Let’s hope we never have to find out.”

Trying her hardest to stay optimistic, she grinned hopefully at Steve, and the beginnings of a smile latched onto his face as well.

“Do you mind if we move on? I think I remember one path we didn’t take, actually,” Steve recalled, touching a finger to his chin. “It’s been nagging at me for a while. After we see it, I think I’m ready for a nice bath.”

Sarah and Steve started off once again, the former continuing the conversation. “I hear that. I don’t think we’ve ever had a floor this big! It’s really draining to explore this all in one go…”

Steve gave a soft “mmhmm” in response and spoke no more. They passed through a few more twists and turns, Sarah keeping an eye on Steve like a mother to her chicks.

“You’re still shaken up about the photo, aren’t you?” Sarah said suddenly.

Steve briefly met her eyes and nodded.

“I don’t blame you…” Sarah turned her gaze away for a moment, her brow furrowing. “I miss Neko Zombie as much as you do, and finding out about that photo right after you used that handkerchief in the machine…” Sarah bit her lip, pausing to shake her head. “Not to mention it raises more questions than answers. You don’t remember that happening, but… it was right there, in that photo.”

“I only met Neko Zombie a few weeks ago!” Steve clutched the sides of his head. “I… I’m not sure what to believe anymore.”

Sarah felt her stomach tighten. She felt like Steve would be hard to cheer up… maybe using so many words wasn’t the right route to take.

Wordlessly, she took Steve’s hand and gave him the most genuine smile she could muster. “Hey, we’ll figure this out. We always do, don’t we?”

Steve sniffled, a shred of a smile forming of his broken face. “Yeah… We do…”

“It’ll fall into place, just you watch,” Sarah reassured. She stopped suddenly, seeing the lost and found up ahead. “Are we close to that mystery path of yours?”

Smiling sheepishly, he nodded affirmatively and pointed straight ahead. “We never went down that way, I think.”

Sarah gestured in front of her. “Then lead the way.”

She figured giving Steve an opportunity to lead would help boost his confidence, and was willing to dash back to his side the moment they reached another fork in the road. With a gulp, Steve muttered something under his breath and strode forward.

Their steps echoed in the silent darkness, and Sarah hoped with all her heart they wouldn’t come to another dead end or series of twists and turns. To her pleasant surprise, only a single turn to the right came, before another door was in view.

“Hey…” Steve began as he laid eyes on it.

Sarah rushed to catch up with him and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Good find! Let’s go in…”

As Steve blushed bashfully, Sarah pushed and pulled at the hunk of steel.

“…It’s not…budging?” Sarah panted, utterly perplexed.

“This door is locked as well?” Steve’s voice shook as fear seeped back in.

Sarah straightened herself up and dusted off her clothes. “Less to explore, right? We should keep moving.”

She started off again, her steps creating a mysterious rhythm that only seemed ominous in the black tunnels. Steve hurriedly caught up with her and nervously ventured to grab her hand. Neither of them were very surprised when another large steel door was encountered, but were caught off guard when this one, too, was locked. Steve moaned and tore at his hair.

“Again?! What is Monoputa so desperate to hide?!” His cries were for no one in particular. None could answer anyway.

A hand on his back Sarah lead the anxious boy around another turn and, strangely, back to the laundry room.

“Familiar ground…” Steve’s voice was weak with relief. Sarah couldn’t blame him.

“Finally… Well if that’s everything, I’m going to read in the laundry for a bit.” Sarah’s eyes darted to the nearby door. She’d be lying if she said they hadn’t been calling to her. “Think you can find your way out?”

“I think so… It should be just up here,” Steve stroked his chin thoughtfully. “Either way, I think my desperation for that bath will get me through,” he couldn’t help but chuckle. “If you need me, call on me, okay?”

“Same for you… And Steve?” Sarah pulled him in for a quick hug. “Everything is going to be okay.”


	22. Playdate

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Sorry for the wait! Got the chapter here, and I can’t wait to hear what all of you think of it!!_   
>  _Art by Classo, Lizzy, and Lizzie! Thank you to all of them <3_   
>  _I hope all of you enjoy!_

Sarah yawned as she ambled up the stairs back into the lobby. Today was awfully tiring, but much more pleasant than most days. She had chatted with the other women while she did her laundry, and spent a bit of time reading magazines with Catherine afterwards. Gregory Mama’s presence had been emotionally draining and terrifying, so Sarah really felt her absence. Everyone seemed a bit calmer, apart from Gregory, who seemed quite dumbfounded about this whole thing. She’d have to talk to him later, make sure he was okay, but Clock Master was keeping an eye on him, so it wasn’t a large priority. Still, she didn’t want him to do anything drastic.

Folding her arms across her chest, Sarah bit her lip as she recalled the trial. The end of it had been so mind-numbingly awful that she had buried it in her brain, hoping to never unearth it again.

She should have known the thoughts would sneak up on her again. She was a psychology student, after all.

Sarah mentally sorted through all the other guests in her head, trying to figure out if any of them would kill for their own selfish gain.  
 _Gunman’s all bark and no bite, I don’t think he’d have the stones to murder anyone just because he felt like it…_ Sarah bit her lip, her eyes glazing over, barely aware of the hallway around her as she walked through it. _Angel Dog has been nothing but sweet, but there’s Devil Dog to worry about… though Angel Dog seems to be getting better at controlling her. Chef has a hot temper, but if anyone so much as alludes to him dying, he tenses up. Clock Master doesn’t seem to have a mean bone in his body, and Cactus-_

“OOF!” Sarah was so lost in her thoughts, she failed to hear the rapidly approaching footsteps of Steve. As she turned the corner, he barrelled into her, and both of them fell to the ground, Steve faceplanting and Sarah landing on her butt and sliding backwards. The wind was knocked out of Sarah’s lungs and she struggled to catch her breath, Steve hurriedly lifting up his head and looking at Sarah with a terrified expression.

Sarah massaged the painful rug burn on the back of her left leg, sharply inhaling as she looked at Steve’s crazed expression.

“Are you okay? What’s wrong?” Sarah suddenly forgot about her burning calves and moved to her knees, inching towards Steve. She noticed that his hair was wet; did he see something in the bath?

Steve looked all around before crawling as close to Sarah as possible, clutching his stomach. “Sarah… you’re not going to believe this…” he said quietly, his lips mere centimeters from Sarah’s ear.

Sarah was beginning to feel a little uncomfortable. What was up with the whispering? “Did something happen?”

Steve quickly reached under his shirt and passed Sarah a tightly folded triangle of paper. “You’re better at this kind of thing than I am,” Steve leaned back a little bit, his voiced still hushed. “Hide it and make _sure_ you’re alone when you read it.”

“But what-” Sarah tried to say, but Steve shushed her.

“Monoputa could hear us, or worse, whoever his boss is could hear us…” With that and an audible shudder, Steve rose to his feet and brushed himself off. “Good luck, Sarah!” Giving her a wave, Steve sprinted off to who-knows-where.

Sarah couldn’t just ignore something like this. She put the paper into her pocket and hurried to her room.

 

_GHS_

 

Sarah sat on her bed and carefully unfolded the paper. It was crinkled and slightly damp, and the words were a little runny.

_Steve must have found this in the baths somewhere…_ Sarah thought before reading the paper.

It was a note, barely readable. As Sarah read it, her heart began to pound.

_To whoever finds this,_

_I stole this right from under Monoputa’s nose. He’ll probably have my head for it, but I think it will be helpful. This is a list of who’s alive and who’s dead, just one page of it, and it’s unfinished. But there’s one person on this list who doesn’t belong._

_I hope it can be of use. I hid the paper because I was worried that if I showed everyone, I’d be putting you all in danger. Please be subtle about this, but the others must know._

_Be careful, and stay alive._

Beneath the note was a hastily scribbled signature that read:

_Neko Zombie_

_Someone who… doesn’t belong?_ Sarah flipped the paper over and, sure enough, there was a list of people. It wasn’t in alphabetical order; it seemed like Monoputa just wrote down whoever came to mind. The text was tiny, but neatly written.

_Frog Fortune Teller: Dead_

_Lost Doll: Dead_

_Mummy Dog: Released_

_My Son: Released_

_Devil Dog: Alive_

_Angel Dog: Alive_

_Catherine: Alive_

_Sarah: Alive_

_Steve: Alive_

_Gregory Mama: Alive_

_Neko Zombie: Alive_

_Not anymore…_ Sarah shook her head before continuing to read. There were a few of names she didn’t recognize, too… who were these people? Why were they killed?

_Gregory: Alive_

_Mummy Papa: Dead_

_James: Dead_

_Poor Conductor: Dead_

_Umbaba: Dead_

_Mono Eye Wizard: Dead_

Sarah’s eyes moved down to the next name on the list before widening to the size of miniature full moons.

_Dr. Fritz: Alive_

 

_GHS_

 

“I am _tired_ of it! Tired of it _all!”_ The female cactus’ words shot Sarah vaguely into her surroundings.

With agonising slowness, Sarah manoeuvred her head to see her location. There she stood bound to the hard floor by ropes binding her feet like thick jungle vines, in a long line with Monoputa and all her terrified living friends. Well, almost all of them. Sarah raised her head, her movements heavy and sluggish. Before the cowering figures stood a confident Cactus Girl, her mouth twisted into something like malicious satisfaction. Those eyes of eternal darkness… Sarah could sense her evil will, her lust for destruction, the despair she so desperately craved.

“You all thought you could hold me back, trapped like a _little_ _baby_ … NOT ANYMORE!” Cactus Girl screeched.

Her crazed laughter boomed in all directions of the endless room. As if growing like some grotesque plant, the bodies of her dead companions bloomed beneath her feet, raising her higher and higher. She happily danced on the mutilated bodies, not a hint of remorse.

A hot rush of fear tore at Sarah and she tugged at her feet, wordlessly crying for freedom. Her failing was useless, her energy draining by the second and her voice whisked away.

“This is what you get for keeping me locked in this hotel!” Cactus Girl ferociously swung her arm to Monoputa, who was at Sarah’s left.

Ropes coiled like snakes around his body, wrapping him up like a mummy. She had never seen Monoputa show such fear until right before the ropes closed around his face.

“And you… _brother…_ ” Cactus Girl cooed, stepping lightly down the mound of bodies to where he stood, at Sarah’s right. Gunman shook his head violently, leaning back as much as he could. Sarah could see the raging anger in his sister’s eyes. “You who made horrid mistakes, with your terrible aim and big ego, holding me back to clean up your ridiculous messes, and _then_ forcing me away from the man I love?! You…”

As she raised her hand for another violent sweep, Sarah lurched forward to intervene, slapping away Cactus Girl’s hand with a feeble stroke, trying to use her body to shield Gunman. Her heart froze when Cactus Girl flicked her icy gaze on her.

“Ohh, you want to protect him?” Cactus Girl’s voice was laced with mocking sympathy. “I know how much you mean to him, his ‘little senorita’~. I wonder…

Who will protect _**YOU?”**_

 

_GHS_

 

Sarah shot up in bed, her heart thundering like crazy and sweat matting her hair to her face.

_Just a dream…_ Sarah took a deep breath and let it out, trying to calm down her pounding heart. Still, it was like no dream Sarah had ever had. She had felt every sensation, smelled the warped flesh of her dismembered friends, and she still had phantom pain where the ropes had been wrapped around her ankles.

She hadn’t even realized she had fallen asleep. She had laid back in bed, her mind running wild with possibilities about that Dr. Fritz person. She must have drifted off eventually…

Hugging herself and shuddering, Sarah finally felt her heartbeat begin to slow. _Cactus Girl wouldn’t do something like that… would she?_

Staring at a crack in the wall, Sarah became more and more uncertain. Was that dream a premonition…? Was Cactus Girl the mastermind behind all this, planning on betraying everyone else in the house, including her own underling? Or was she an innocent guest on the verge of snapping? She did have quite a temper and seemed more and more hurt by the gaping chasm between her brother and her love…

Sarah gasped and slapped herself in the face, as if that would somehow banish the dark thoughts festering inside her brain. _Cactus Girl is fine! She’s an innocent guest like us who will resist Monoputa and the mastermind as much as possible!_ Sarah thought fiercely, squeezing her eyes tightly shut and concentrating as much as she could on that vapour of a thought. In her heart, that haunting dream still rotted her trust. She shook her head violently in a final effort to clear her mind of the darkening thoughts.

_Maybe I should go talk to her…_ Sarah rose from her bed and finger-combed her hair as she headed towards her mirror. _That will at least clear all this fog from my head…_

Once she was done dressing herself, her rose wilting delicately, she headed to Cactus Girl’s room and knocked on the door. Cactus Girl answered the door a few seconds later, obviously sleepy and still clad in a loose, flowy nightgown, her hair out of its braids and a gigantic poofy mess.

“Eh…?” was the greeting she gave Sarah as she scrubbed at her eyes.

“Is someone here…?” a sleepy, slightly shaky voice said from behind Cactus Girl. “I’m so glad to be out of that nightmare…”

Cactus Girl’s eyes popped open and she turned beet red. Sarah couldn’t help smirking and leaned around Cactus Girl to see Steve sitting up in her bed; stretching hugely, his face red and sweaty.

“L-let’s talk in the hall, shall we?” Cactus Girl pushed Sarah out of her doorframe and quickly shut the door behind her. “Do _not_ tell my brother Steve was in my room. It is not what you think; he had a nightmare and so did I, so I let him sleep in my-”

Sarah held up a hand to silence Cactus Girl. “Hold on, you two had nightmares?”

“Ah, si…” Cactus Girl hugged herself and shuddered. “I… would rather not talk about it… it was… very vivid, as if all my worst fears had come true right in front of me…”

“I understand,” Sarah nodded, looking downcast. “You aren’t the only one who had nightmares.”

“Qué? You too? Ayiyiyi…” Cactus Girl dragged her hands down her face and shook her head. “I don’t know how much longer we can all deal with this… this situation we’re in just keeps getting worse and worse… and we still have no idea who is causing us all this trouble. Besides Monoputa, of course.”

The name Sarah had read the night before flashed through her mind. “Actually…” Sarah lowered her voice to a whisper. “I might have a lead. But I want to tell everyone, one at a time, slowly. If Monoputa found out… who knows what would happen.”

Cactus Girl’s lips parted, her brows rising with interest as she looked at Sarah expectantly.

Sarah recounted the events of the night before, Steve giving her the paper with the note from Neko Zombie and the itinerary of the house’s unfortunate guests… and how someone they never even met was listed as alive.

“This Dr. Fritz person…” Sarah’s voice was so quiet that Cactus Girl could just barely make out her words. “I think there’s a good possibility that they’re behind all of this.”

Cactus Girl balled her fist in front of her chin and mimicked Sarah’s volume. “Steve never told me any of this… I guess he knows you’re good at handling these things. But I will keep my mouth shut, I promise.”

The relief Sarah felt was immeasurable. She didn’t know what she was thinking, there was no way Cactus Girl was really as ruthless as she was in Sarah’s dream. Sarah mentally kicked herself for suspecting her.

Cactus Girl twirled a lock of her hair around a finger as she raised her eyes to meet Sarah’s. “Hey, do you think-”

Before she could finish her question, the crackling of loudspeakers interrupted her.

“Ahem. Okay, I was waiting for you to all get to the lobby in your own, pleasant time, but let’s speed things up, shall we? Mainly because I’m BORRRED OF WAITING FOR YOU!” Monoputa’s dreaded voice shrieked. “So if the following people could hurry uuup~! Cactus Gunman, Scaredy Steve, Nancy Drew, Butch Cassidy and Clock Master. I would specifically like to tell the latter to GET HIS DRUNKEN ASS OFF THE FLOOR OF MY BAR. Ahahaha! See _you_ in the lobby~!”

As his voice died away, Cactus Girl and Sarah exchanged confused glances.

“He’s waiting for us?” Sarah echoed.

“Whatever he wants, it cannot be good. We must go straight away!” Cactus Girl nodded, putting on a determined gaze and fussing with her hair to make it slightly more presentable.

Steve opened the door and peered out nervously, looking both ways. “A-are we heading out? I’ll tag along with you, if that’s okay…”

Cactus Girl gave him a tired smile, but before any pleasantries could be exchanged, Gunman’s room next door burst open with a bang. The cactus himself looked like a wide-eyed maniac, feverishly tapping his waist.

“Wh-why must my guns be missing _now?!”_ He hiss-whispered.

Sarah stepped forward warily. “Uhh, Gunman?”

At the notion of an outside sound, Gunman recoiled and stumbled his way down the hall with a scream trailing behind him. _Strange… What’s got him so worked up?_ Sarah stared after him, hoping he would turn out okay. Cactus Girl sighed with a mix of pity, worry and endearment.

“We’d better follow him,” Cactus Girl directed, following him around the corner. “He’d better not do anything stupid.”

Steve edged out of Cactus Girl’s room and he and Sarah pursued her, a few paces behind. Sarah couldn’t help wondering how much Monoputa must be enjoying that. _I bet he’s still trying to get Clock Master sorted,_ she scratched her head. _That guy’s dead weight at this hour._

“I-I’m glad Gunman’s missing his guns,” Steve mumbled. “He’d probably would have sh-shot someone by now…”

“My brother? Shoot someone? Feh! If a room was made entirely of targets, he would _still_ find a way to miss!” Cactus Girl scoffed over her shoulder. Her face softened. “That is why I learned to use a lasso. He won’t get in so much trouble if I am there to protect him like I know he is for me.”

So distracted by idle chatter and tempting thoughts, Sarah felt the entrance to the lobby had raced up to meet them as Cactus Girl firmly grasped its shimmering brass loop.

“I just hope he hasn’t made a mess of things…” Cactus Girl sighed, somewhat resigned.

With a firm tug, the lobby was unveiled, revealing the fearful and forlorn faces of Sarah’s housemates. In stark contrast, Monoputa excitedly rushed up to meet them and ushered them urgently inside.

“Hellohellohello! Watch your step and get ready for my next piece of GRAND news! It’s gonna be KILLER! Ahahahahaaa!”

Shoved forward by his eagerness, Sarah observed Gunman hugging his legs in one of the chairs and Roulette Boy giggling at him in the other. It seemed partially forced and he occasionally looked around as if lost. On the couch, Hell’s Chef impatiently tapped his foot on the floor and made the occasional glance to the kitchen door with his sagging eyes. Next to him, Angel Dog politely pleaded for his patience but, interrupted by a yawn, swiftly apologising. Standing nearby, Catherine muttered quietly to Gregory, perhaps giving him an impromptu checkup.

_They’re all… so tired,_ Sarah realised. _Could it be…?_

“Looks like we’re aaaall heeere~!” Monoputa sang with sadistic chipperness before doing a 180 degree turn around. “Wait… Clock Master still isn’t here?!”

A few people exchanged glances, unnerved by tiny Monoputa’s rage. Roulette Boy just looked sad and glanced at the staircase.

The prompter released a huge exasperated sigh. “Whelp, if he’s not coming down here I’ll drag him!”

In a flash he was gone and the crowd sat in foreboding silence. After what felt like a minute or two, Gregory spoke up.

“How much longer do we want to bet he’s going to take? Perhaps he ran into some…trouble, ehehe.”

“Gregory,” Catherine scolded him with her disapproving gaze.

“Senor, _please,”_ Gunman pulled down his sombrero to hide himself further, while Steve looked like he was about to be sick. “Not now.”

The second those words were utter a loud _CRASH!_ was heard and Clock Master came toppling down the stairs in a flurry of _'oof!’_ s and _'ahh!’_ s, landing in a ridiculous heap in the floor. Sarah recoiled with a gasp and smiled thankfully as Catherine swooped to his side.

“That’s what you get when you disobey my DIRECT ORDER!” Monoputa hollered from the top of the stairs before delicately prancing down.

Catherine lay Clock Master flat and clicked her fingers in front of his face. He stirred woozily. After examining him, looking for any signs of injury, she sighed with relief.

“He’ll be fine, he just needs to rest,” Catherine turned her absolute zero gaze on Monoputa, who was hopping past. “I hope you know you could have killed him.”

“Ah, he’s a strong old timer,” Monoputa flicked his hand dismissively. “Plus, it was totally worth it~! But more importantly…” He sidled up to Gunman’s chair and whispered in his ear. “…did you sleep _wellll?”_

Gunman gasped and drew away but managed to regain some of his cool. “Wh-what? Sleep well? Of course! Who do you take me for, ehehe…”

“Well, Gunman, you know what I think?” Monoputa looked at him quite seriously.

He leaned closer and muttered, “what?”

“I think… you’re a LIAR!” Monoputa shrieked at the top of his lungs, raising his hands above his head and Gunman nearly fell off his chair.

Sarah scowled, watching the small prompter gallantly stride over to the table and climb up. Obviously he knew something very important and was gloating tremendously.

“Ladies and gentlemen of Monoputa House!” Monoputa began elegantly. “I would like to formally welcome you all to the next motive of our little game! _Nightmares!”_

Cries of outrage and disgust erupted from the crowd and Monoputa soaked up each one gleefully. _Oh I hate it when I’m right,_ Sarah hugged herself tightly, begging the knot forming in her stomach to untie.

“This is outrageous!” Angel Dog exclaimed. “My smile practice will be _ruined_ if my face constantly looks like this!”

“We’ll all be on edge too!” Steve put forward worriedly. “I don’t know if I can take it…”

“You could always kill someone, sissy boy! Though I’m not sure you have it in you…” Monoputa pondered. “Then again, nightmares _every night_ can make even the most sane person snap!”

“The nightmares… won’t leave?” Hell’s Chef clenched his fists.

Monoputa shot a big thumbs up at the candle. “That’s right, Tubby! These nightmares will stick around until one of you gets the axe! Striking the core of each individual person with their worst fears until they break their _precious_ morals! Gyahahaha!”

“I will admit that is a clever move…” Gregory sighed, rubbing his eye.

“Clever?! How could you pay him a compliment like that?!” Cactus Girl was furious, stomping her feet. “Especially after so many of us have been killed!”

“Yeah, this isn’t fun anymore…” Roulette Boy sucked up some of his signature drool as he tried to hide his glistening eyes which shone with unshed tears. Scowling, the boy turned to Monoputa. “You _ruined_ the game!”

Feigning hurt, Monoputa dramatically touched his heart. _“Me?_ All I did was make it bring ultimate despair~! Now I’m going to leave you kiddies alone. This has been a PSA from your resident prompter!” Monoputa smoothly slid over to Angel Dog with a goofy grin. “And, uh, tell me what Devil Dog thinks, will ya?”

Monoputa winked and made an imitation of a tiger. Sarah just barely resisted the urge to gag…

“Ugh!” Angel Dog drew away from him, pulling up her knees and bumping into Hell’s Chef. “Honestly! How _rude!”_

“Hmph. Fine! Later I’ll find out myself!” Monoputa stuck out his tongue and vanished just like that.

Steve sighed, breathing easier. “Thank goodness he’s gone.”

“Now is no time to be relaxing!” Cactus Gunman shot out of his chair, doing his damned best to be macho. “There must be some way to ensure we get a good sleep!”

“ _And_ take care of Clock Master,” Catherine reminded them sternly. She slyly turned to a certain someone. “Oh Chef~! Could you lend me those _strong_ arms of yours? I need help getting him to my office~.”

Chef grunted, still upset by the news, and toddled over. Catherine swooned and grabbed Clock Master’s feet. Hell’s Chef on the other hand, did his share indifferently and lead the way up the stairs.

Worriedly, the crowd began to disperse and scrounge some pathetic form of nourishment in the kitchen. Sitting at the table with her share, Sarah couldn’t help but think the long rows of seats never looked so empty. As discreetly as she could, she began to spread the word of rebellion, one person at a time.

 

_GHS_

 

_Knock knock._

“Come in!” Catherine called from her miniscule desk. If she heard the door creak open, she showed no sign. “If it’s another injury, I’m going to give that Monoputa a stern talking-to.”

Sarah smiled sheepishly as she carefully shut the door behind her. “Not this time, thankfully. Just came to check up on Clock Master.” She ambled to the centre of the room as Catherine swivelled in her chair to face her. As their eyes met, Sarah’s smile dropped. “How is he?”

Rolling her eyes, Catherine motioned towards the patient bed in the back corner. “Well, he’s conscious now, at least. He honestly shouldn’t drink so much, it’ll be the death of him.” She turned around and began to write again. “I have to make notes on his condition, but you’re welcome to talk to him.”

With a polite nod, Sarah approached the fearless drunkard. “Clock Master?”

“Sarah! It's… It’s lovely to see you!” Clock Master still wasn’t one hundred percent, and his eyes wandered all over the room. “I see you’re doing well… *hic* What news do you bring?”

A finger touched her chin as she briefly mulled over the idea of informing the delirious man of her secret information. “Nothing new. Do you feel much better?”

“'Course not! My head *hic* hurss like hell,” he mumbled, dazedly slurring his ’s’s. “Do they… *hic* they miss me down there?”

Sarah sighed, somehow feeling the urge to laugh at the situation. “Of course they do! Probably Gregory the most, seeing as how you’ve been being so buddy-buddy with him recently.”

“Gregory! Yeeesss…” Clock Master heaved a putrid breath with an acrid stink that almost burned Sarah’s eyes. She should probably go soon… “He's… a great guy. One-a *hic* the best! Been helpin’ him with his lotta parent issues… *hic* That lil’ roulette kid probably misses me more…”

“Really?” She guessed it made sense, him only being a kid, although it was very hard to imagine the childish bully missing anyone.

Clock Master waved his hand flippantly. “Oh yes, yes. *hic* I’ve been neglectin’ him for a while now. I’m such a burden…” Sarah’s heart dropped. “He’s probably *hic* lonely. And I’m all he’s got… I’ll never be a *hic* good father…”

Sarah couldn’t bear to hear the raw pain. “Hey… How about I spend some time with him until you’re better?”

Vaguely, Clock Master’s eyes focused on her. “You'd… do that?”

She admittedly despised the little rascal, but she didn’t want him crying off in a corner and Clock Master’s guilt trip was making it hard to think of any other solution. “Uh, sure… I guess it can’t be too bad…”

“Th- *hic* Thank you Sarah. Tell him… I’ll play with him soon,” Clock Master smiled dazedly, nodding off.

Murmuring a farewell, she fiercely hid away her tears and bolted from the room, leaving a startled Catherine. Sarah had no idea Clock Master thought of himself this way! It was enough to make anyone cry… _I suppose I’d better fulfil my promise, whether I like it or not…_

 

_GHS_

 

Stealthily and sneakily as a fox, Sarah slid to the keyhole to the playroom. Within, she spied Roulette Boy sitting on his lonesome on the floor. He held an action figure loosely and rotated it in his grasp.

He let out an isolated sigh, the echoed within the room’s hollow depths. “James would’ve liked to play with these…”

After staring at the action figure for a few more moments, Roulette Boy let out a loud noise of anger and hurled it against the wall. The figure’s head went flying off on impact and Roulette Boy buried his face in his hands and began to heave quiet sobs.

Sarah felt her heart twist. Even though Roulette Boy could be a bit of a pain sometimes, seeing him like this was difficult.

_He’s just a kid…_ Sarah thought as she drew back from the keyhole, biting her lip. Her hand hovered over the doorknob for a moment before she gathered up enough nerve to open it.

As soon as she did, Roulette Boy’s head snapped towards her, thick tears still in the corners of his eyes. Quickly swiping his arm against his eyes, he glared weakly at Sarah, his eyes still teary despite his efforts.

“What do you want?” He hugged his knees to his chest, looking at the wall.

“Clock Master sent me,” she said tenderly, disguising her nervousness. That kid was a loose cannon… “He has a message.”

“He does…?” Roulette Boy’s tears disappeared as he turned his head towards Sarah, his eyes sparkling with joy. “Wh-what is it?”

“He says he’ll play with you soon, and he feels bad that he hasn’t been around,” Sarah subconsciously inched towards Roulette Boy, her steps miniscule. “He… uh, isn’t feeling so well, especially after that fall.”

“Oh, he got drunk again, huh?” Roulette Boy tilted his little head, his spinner whirling with the motion. Sarah suppressed a dark chuckle as she nodded. “That dumb _old timer._ Heheh. I guess I’m happy he’ll play with me again soon…” He rested his chin on his drawn-up knees and sighed. “Wish there was another kid here, at least. The closest thing is that dummy Cactus Gunman, and he’s, like, thirty. Plus he’s lame and I don’t wanna hang out with him.”

Sarah couldn’t help rolling her eyes. “What do you have against Gunman?” she asked, folding her arms.

Roulette Boy thought for a moment, tapping his chin and sticking out his lower lip. “…he’s a dummy.” was the reply Roulette Boy came up with.

_That’s not an answer,_ Sarah ached to say, but she knew arguing with an eight year old was completely futile. Deciding to drop the subject, she came to Roulette Boy’s side and knelt down next to him.

Roulette Boy, his sadness completely behind him, looked up at Sarah with rosy cheeks and said: “You’re better than Gunman, though. Let’s play a board game!” Jumping to his feet, he scrambled over to a shelf, his head moving around like a bird’s as he surveyed the games. “Ah-HA!” He grabbed the most vividly colored box and brought it over to Sarah.

Roulette Boy’s enthusiasm for the game was infectious; he got excited over every little move, constantly bouncing around and clapping his hands. Sarah could hardly believe this was the same kid that was sobbing his eyes out earlier; not to mention he was amazing at this. He seemed to know what Sarah was going to do before she even did it.

“You’re good,” Sarah admitted a bit grudgingly as Roulette Boy sent her piece back to Start.

“Games are all I know!” Roulette Boy drooled a bit more, resting a hand against his cheek. “I don’t remember much before I came here, but I remember a giant room, filled with neon lights, a great big board game, run by me~!” Drool dribbled off his chin and fell onto his knees. “I’d like to see if I could play it here, but uh, it wouldn’t be good…” Roulette Boy’s expression darkened a bit and he looked away from Sarah. He mumbled something, but Sarah was sure she heard it wrong. It sounded like _“Blood, blood, and more blood…”_

Wrinkling her brow, Sarah asked: “What did you say?”

“Nothing~,” Roulette Boy stuck his tongue out at her. “Now stop being a slowpoke! I have a game to win!”

He was telling the truth; Roulette Boy absolutely curbstomped Sarah at that game, and the next one they played, and the one after that, and the one after that. After achieving one more victory, Roulette Boy joyfully announced: “I’m bored! You’re not even a challenge, Sarah!” Giggling, he added: “And here I thought you were smart~!”

Sarah flashed him a thin smile. “I guess you’re just too good at these games.”

“Yup, that’s it!” Roulette Boy stretched and yawned so hard he almost inhaled the game board. “I’m sleepy, big sis. Carry me to my room, kay?”

_I’m 'big sis’ now?_ Sarah wasn’t sure how to feel about that. “You can walk, Roulette Boy. I don’t need to carry you.”

After giving Sarah an alarmingly intense pout and crossing his arms, Roulette Boy turned his face away and murmured “Clock Master carries me back to my room when I’m tired… looks like I’m gonna collapse in the hallway! I’ll be completely vulnerable, big sis! Someone could just walk right up and mur-”

“Okay, that’s enough!” Sarah couldn’t believe he was using fear tactics. She moved closer to Roulette Boy and held out her arms. “I’ll carry you. But just this once!”

Roulette Boy looked at her with sparkling, joyful eyes. “Yay!” He hopped into Sarah’s arms and she cradled him like an oversized baby.

“Comfy?” she asked as she headed for the door, quietly thanking whatever deity would listen that Roulette Boy was tiny and light.

Sarah got nothing but a tiny snore in response. She looked down at Roulette Boy and her jaw dropped. _He fell asleep already?_

_ _

Sarah moved carefully through the hall and up the stairs so she wouldn’t awaken the tired child. Right when they were approaching his room, Roulette Boy let out a muted screeching sound, writhing around in Sarah’s arms. He began to sweat, his lips trembling, and he screeched again.

Sarah almost dropped Roulette Boy in shock when he started to move. She gently tapped his face to wake him up, and Roulette Boy’s eyes shot open. He took in a deep, sharp breath and made eye contact with Sarah.

“Oh… big sis…” Roulette Boy yawned. “Why’d you wake me up?”

“You were making these awful noises…” Sarah set Roulette Boy down in front of his door. “Were you having a nightmare?”

“Nnnnnnnnnnope!” Roulette Boy looked away from Sarah, wiping sweat off his forehead. “I’m right as rain!”

“You’re lying,” Sarah straightened up and loomed over Roulette Boy, her hands on her hips. “We’re _all_ having nightmares. Do you want to talk about it, Roulette Boy? It might make you feel better.”

“…nah, I’m sleepy,” Roulette Boy grinned at Sarah, who huffed in exasperation.

“Come on, Roulette-”

“Nope, sleepy! Bye, big sis~!” Roulette Boy swung the door to his room open and slammed it right in Sarah’s face.

Sarah blinked disbelievingly a few times before shaking her head. _Roulette Boy probably didn’t know how to describe what he saw, he’s so little…_

Still, thoughts of Roulette Boy swirled in Sarah’s mind as she headed over to the bath house.

_I have to give Clock Master more credit…_ she pondered, shoving her hands in her pockets. _You have to be one hell of a person to be able to deal with this kid._

 

_GHS_

 

Sarah lay hopelessly on her bed, heaving a large sigh. It had been two days since she had fulfilled her promise to play with Roulette Boy, and the nightmares were getting worse and worse. She was sure she had told everyone of the suspicious Dr. Fritz, and that Monoputa seemed to have caught no wind of it, but such hype was easily buried under her growing paranoia. The nightmares grew worse with each sleep, and her lethargy was impeding on her daily activities. She would lie endlessly in her bed, hoping to somehow achieve a rough, uneasy eight hours sleep between breaks of terror, night sweats and a pounding heart.

She eyed every shadow, every nook and cranny for for some hidden entity. When a deep knock burst at the door, she shot up and nearly let out a scream, catching herself at the last second. _What… should I do?_

It came again. Harder. Squeezing her eyes shut, she took a big gulp of bravery and dashed her the door, flinging it open, her breath ragged with fear.

“Sarah? Are you alright?” Clock Master inquired with concern.

After quickly glancing over her shoulder, Sarah smiled sheepishly and came outside shutting the door behind her. She pinched her forehead as she exhaled exhaustedly. “Yeah… Yeah, I think. Is something wrong?”

“Well, yes. It’s Roulette Boy,” Clock Master began.

“Again? Haven’t you played with him yet?”

“Of course I have!” Clock Master looked dumbstruck. “I adore spending time with that youngster! But I fear something’s gone awry…”

Sarah’s eyes widened in curiosity as Clock Master looked from side to side nervously. “It…seems he’s missing. After last night, I can’t help but be concerned.”

“Last…night?” Sarah tilted her head. “What happened?”

“Now’s not the time to explain, Sarah! I just want him found.” Clock Master pressed rather firmly. He motioned for Sarah to follow him as he took off rather briskly, and then began to count on his fingers. “I asked Gregory and Cactus Gunman to investigate the rooms upstairs, since there are few. Angel Dog and Hell’s Chef are checking the kitchen, garden and all those other rooms on this floor and Cactus Girl and Steve are knocking on all of the rooms to see if he answers.”

“What about Catherine?” Sarah quickly asked, her voice shaking with the movement as she descended the staircase by the lounge.

“She will meet us in front of the playroom down here. We’re going to check every room down here until we see him…” He replied darkly.

“You haven’t checked the playroom yet?” Sarah scratched her head, confounded. “If he would be anywhere, he’d be there!”

“If anyone knows that, it’s me, dear Sarah,” Clock Master smiled wryly. “Early this morning I felt something was amiss and called his name into the room. After checking his room, I rounded up the others.”

Sarah frowned. “How did you-”

“Thank goodness you’re here,” Catherine flicked her tongue impatiently. “That _child_ is certainly causing a mess. If this is some elaborate prank…!”

The old timer’s eyes flashed. “I wouldn’t cause such a fuss over nothing!” As Catherine backed down, he unleashed a sigh ridden with stress and continued authoritatively. “Let us start with the playroom, then traverse the tunnels. We should enter rooms as we see them, and do try not to get lost.”

_Thanks for the dark addition,_ Sarah sniffed. _Really helps our sleep-deprived paranoia._

Clock Master swung open the large red doors, revealing the expanse of the stunning room within. They spread out, looking for any clues that could perhaps indicate where the lost boy was. Sarah held her chin as she stared at the figurines spread across the floor. _Nothing unusual about them. They’re arranged like Roulette Boy was playing with them._

“Wait, don’t you smell that?” Taking two loud sniffs, Catherine looked to and approached the toybox. “It smells like…”

She kicked something that made a small tinkling sound as it rolled away. Clock Master and Sarah exchanged confused glances as Catherine picked it up off the floor.

“Huh? Oh! _Oh_ a _needle_ I-” She broke off. “I knew it! It… It’s filled with blood!”

In a rush, Catherine dropped the needle altogether and shoved open the toybox. She gasped dramatically and backed away, hanging her head. Fearing the worst, Sarah bolted over with Clock Master, seeing what she had hoped so dearly that she wouldn’t.

Roulette Boy’s bloodied and battered corpse lying mangled among the sharp toys.


	23. Inner Demons

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Here we go, this case’s investigation! I hope all of you are looking forward to this trial, because I sure am! It’s my personal favorite. >:)_   
>  _Both of our lovely Lizzes were busy, so we had amazing guest artists step in! Classycloudcuckoolanderclasso, crazybearlady, and hot-coco-truffles, thank you! I’m so happy to have your fantastic art in this chapter!_   
>  _I hope all of you enjoy this one! Let me and Ven know what you think <3_

The air went completely still as the three investigators took in the sight before them.

_Roulette Boy. Motionless. Bloodied. Dead._

A loud _thump_ made Sarah start. She looked over to see that Clock Master had fallen to his knees, his head bowed and his expression unreadable.

“Clock Master…” Catherine took a cautious step towards him, a hand outstretched. Clock Master began to shake and Sarah saw him clench his fists so tightly his knuckles whitened.

“Who…” Clock Master said quietly, becoming shakier by the second. “Who…”

His head snapped up, wearing a scowl that almost turned Sarah to stone. “WHO DID THIS?! WHO KILLED HIM?!” He jumped to his feet, a vein standing out in his forehead.

“Calm down!” Catherine urged, taking two steps back and holding her hands up.

“RAAAAAAARGH!” Clock Master slammed his fist into the wall and Sarah winced when she saw that he bloodied his hand. “WHEN I FIND OUT WHO DID THIS, I’M GOING TO-”

Catherine stomped forward and slapped Clock Master across the face.

“Hah…” Clock Master inhaled sharply, his cheek reddening. “This… I can’t believe this…” He moved closer to Roulette Boy’s body, slowly but steadily, still shaking like a leaf. Leaning over, he placed his bloody hand on Roulette Boy’s chest, feeling around for even the slightest bit of a heartbeat.. “No… he’s really…”

The speakers crackled and Monoputa’s cheery voice broke the solemn air. “A body has been discovered in the playroom! After a brief period of investigation, we’ll have a house trial! All of you idiots better prepare yourselves, because this one’s a doozy!”

Clock Master slouched over, his eyes closed in mourning.

Sarah and Catherine shared a worried glance. Clock Master wouldn’t be able to get over this easily… if he did at all.

Sarah wasn’t sure if a few minutes or a few hours passed before Angel Dog came bursting in, her fur matted with sweat and her eyes wide. “What happened?!”

Choking back a sob, Clock Master stepped aside, revealing Roulette Boy’s bleeding corpse.

Tears filled Angel Dog’s eyes and she covered her mouth. “No…”

Hell’s Chef lumbered in stoutly behind her and squinted at the sight. “Huh.”

“How can you be so nonchalant at a time like this?!” Clock Master raved at him.

Hell’s Chef simply folded his arms and glared down at Clock Master, and Clock Master glared right back.

Catherine sighed from her position kneeling by Roulette Boy’s body. “Now’s not the time for this. I think I figured out how he died.”

Clock Master whirled around, accidentally elbowing Hell’s Chef in the stomach. “How?!”

“He has gunshot wounds in his head and chest…” Catherine absent-mindedly ran her fingers over the gaping hole in Roulette Boy’s forehead. “But there are no exit wounds. Strange. And all these scratches and gashes… was he… tortured?”

Sarah winced. All of this was too much… and this was such a cruel death… going with her gut feeling, she nervously blocked her ears for Clock Master’s oncoming storm of screams.

“WHAT DID YOU SAY?!” Clock Master stomped up to Catherine and grabbed her arms. “ARE YOU POSITIVE?!”

“Hands off! I’m just the nurse!” Catherine shoved him away roughly, nearly knocking him over. Sarah knew this really wasn’t the time, but she was a little impressed. “I’m just stating my report. It’s a fact he was shot, but we’re not sure about the gashes. At this stage, yes, it’s likely Roulette Boy was tortured.”

“SH-SHOT?!” Clock Master’s crazed eyes went vacant before hardening considerably. “GUNMAAAAAN!”

“C-Clock Master, please!” Angel Dog interjected fruitlessly.

“WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON THAT CACTUS…” Clock Master panted heavily. “HE’LL HAVE ANOTHER THING COMING!”

The playroom door creaked open once more thanks to a gnarled green hand and Sarah groaned internally. In strolled Gregory, as brooding as ever, and Gunman, his eyes wide with a mix of curiosity and fear.

“My my…” Gregory muttered amusedly.

“Que?” Gunman was quite the opposite to his companion.

Like a bullet train, Clock Master rotated on the spot, bent over and made a beeline right into Gunman, tackling him to the floor with immense strength. The poor prickled fellow shrieked deafeningly, utterly dumbfounded and terrified by Clock Master breathing in his face, drops of spittle spraying down.

Gregory, having caught nothing but a brown blur launching unprovoked into Gunman mere centimetres from himself and a strong gust of wind that battered his ears, recoiled instantly. “WHAAH?!”

Sarah’s jaw hit the floor and she let out a muffled cry as Clock Master began to pummel Gunman in the face through blinding tears and bloodied knuckles. Her feet felt like they were glued to the floor and her heart numb as she endured the horror before her.

“THIS’LL TEACH YOU TO HURT ROULETTE BOY!” Clock Master wailed, his voice cracking.

Gunman hardly had time to breathe between fists and choked out a little “señor…!”

“Oh my God!” squeaked a new, frightened voice.

“HEY! STAY BACK, MI CARIÑO,” Cactus Girl rushed inside after quickly addressing Steve, who was poking out behind the door.

As swift as lightning, Cactus Girl swung out her lasso and stylishly looped it around Clock Master’s neck, yanking him back with unforeseen strength. The old timer had his breath forced out of him, and as he gasped for air, Cactus Girl retrieved her lasso and knelt at her brother’s side. Steve smiled goofily as he watched, his heart pounding.

Suddenly able to move, all instincts drove Sarah to Gunman and she dashed to him, crouching down worriedly. His face was bruised, lacking prickles in some places and his bottom lip was very swollen.

Cactus Girl lifted up her brother’s head. “Brother… YOU IDIOT! You need your little sister to save you?! Why can’t you defend yourself?!”

He opened his mouth dazedly to reply, but his sister pressed on.

“And why did none of you intervene?!” She stared like a hawk at every soul in the room.

“It’s because he's…” Clock Master coughed profusely as he staggered to his feet. “…that cactus is a killer!”

Cactus Girl’s eyes widened and she looked at Clock Master in disbelief, folding her arms and sticking out a hip. “And do you have _proof_ of this? Forgive me if I am slow to trust the words of a drunk.”

Clock Master gestured wildly to Roulette Boy’s body. “He has two bullet wounds! Gunman is a _gunman!_ I’ve seen him with guns, not to mention the two never seemed to get along! He has a motive! It all adds up!” Clock Master slammed a fist into his palm. “I should execute him myself, right now… how dare he murder an innocent child!”

“WAaaaUUUGH!” Cactus Gunman retreated into his poncho and Cactus Girl rolled her eyes so hard her head went with them.

“Idiot. Don’t you remember? Someone _stole_ my brother’s guns! They’ve been missing for days!” Cactus Girl leaned forward, not a hint of fear in her eyes. “He _couldn’t_ have done this. And besides, my brother could not hit a target if it was right in front of him. If he attempted to kill Roulette Boy, there would be bullet holes all over this room.”

“… It could all be an act!” Clock Master wasn’t going to give this up. Cactus Girl sighed.

“Friends, how about we don’t point fingers until the trial, hmm?” Gregory chuckled. “We have an investigation to do.”

“You’re absolutely right!” Monoputa chuckled, kicking his legs as he sat on the bloodstained toybox with files and bags under his arms. When all gazes hit him he jumped down and began his spiel, weaving in between them. “Hello, hello, hello again~! Got some presents for all of you~!”

After passing out everything, he posed on the edge of the toybox and winked. “Like I said, this case is twisty and turny and AWESOME! Me and my boss looooooved watching this murder happen! I just can’t wait to see the sparks fly at the trial! I can’t wait!” He fanned himself and grinned lewdly. “Ahhh, just thinking about it has me all hot and bothered!” His gazed flicked to Angel Dog and his face fell, reforming into a glare. “Why is it always you and never the hot one? She should come out more often…”

“Ugh! Honestly! I can only imagine what you have going on in that twisted little head of yours!” Angel Dog picked up the ends of her dress and tucked it between her legs, clearly not wanting a repeat of past incidents.

“Heheh, soon I won’t _just_ be imagining it~” Monoputa winked seductively.

She flew back a few feet. “Gross!”

In contrast, Hell’s Chef advanced a few paces. “How about… you don't…”

“Hmph, well aren’t you just a party pooper, hey Tubby?” Monoputa folded his arms with a sniff. “Anyways, you guys better get started investigating! Don’t wanna put the good one off any longer~! Toodles!”

Monoputa vanished as quickly as he’d come. Clock Master quickly picked up the pieces of the conversation.

“He’s right, you know. It _will_ be a good one…” He cast a sly glance to Gunman, who gulped. “So how about we all split up for this investigation to cover more ground? In other words, _you_ don’t need to survey…” Clock Master frowned intensely at his victim.

“O-oh…” Gunman looked to Sarah for aid with swollen eyes.

“Wait a second!” Sarah found her voice and it rang with defiance. “We _always_ survey! It’s just what we’ve done and it’s worked in the past! Just because Gunman is a suspect doesn’t mean it should change!”

“Sarah, he has a point,” Catherine flicked her tongue. “This place is _much_ larger than before and if we’re going to have hope of covering it all, this is the best course of action.”

Sarah gave her hair an annoyed flick. “I guess… Then what do you suggest we do?”

Clock Master put a hand on his chin. “Cactus Girl and Steve, survey the first floor. Pay special attention to the Catherine’s office, will you?”

“Ex _cuse_ me?” Catherine glared at him. “I _just_ agreed with you! _Why_ are you suddenly suspecting me?!”

“Until we know why your _needles_ are here, you’re not in the clear,” Clock Master returned the icy gaze. “Angel Dog and Hell’s Chef will guard, as per normal, and Gregory and I will survey the full extent of this basement. Sarah, I’m trusting you with the care of that scoundrel _and_ the ground floor. Keep an eye on Roulette Boy’s room. From what I saw, something of importance is in there…”

“Uh, of course!” Sarah agreed hastily. She’d learnt her lesson not to disagree, but something didn’t feel right about what he was hiding. She knew she’d have to wait until the trial for closure…

Cactus Gunman’s nervous eyes flicked over to Sarah, his mustache quivering. Sarah could see that his lip was beginning to swell beneath it. Clock Master really did a number on him…

“Gregory, come with me and check the shop. Once we’re all done there, we’ll investigate as much as we can. I’m going to find out who killed Roulette Boy or _die trying.”_ Clock Master glared at Gunman again and he made a quick I’m-watching-you gesture. “Everyone get going.” And leaving it on that commanding note, he grabbed a stunned Gregory by the wrist and marched out the door.

Once Clock Master was safely out of earshot, Cactus Gunman let out an enormous breath of relief. Everyone slowly paired off and headed off to do their investigations, with Angel Dog and Chef hovering around the body. The former was trying not to look at it, her lower lip quivering, and Chef was just staring at the motionless Roulette Boy with a flat expression.

Cactus Gunman sidled up to Sarah and gave her a sheepish, swollen smile. “Senorita… shall we go?”

“You sure you up for it? You seem like you’re in rough shape…” Sarah winced as she noticed that Cactus Gunman’s wounds were getting worse by the second.

“I’m a tough hombre; no old man will get the better of me!” Cactus Gunman punched himself in the chest and wound up wincing. “Ow…”

Sarah chuckled. “I’ll take your word for it… Let’s go.” With that, she gestured to the door and Cactus Gunman headed towards it, holding it open for her.

“Sometimes I wonder how she can hang around a crazy old man like that,” Angel Dog tilted her head. “Especially with his reputation now. I bet he’s secretly snapped with half a mind to kill us all!”

Catherine sighed and squinted at her. “Angel Dog, don’t spread rumours now, we need to focus. Hell’s Chef, help me move Roulette Boy onto the floor.”

Hell’s Chef’s blank gaze flicked over to her like hands on a clock and proceeded to hoist the child out. Squelching noises filled the room, and new blood gushed onto Chef’s pristine clothes. Dropping the boy quite fiercely, Hell’s Chef looked down and made an angry grunt of frustration. Catherine gasped while Angel Dog placed a hand on his shoulder.

“It’s alright, Chef. At least we have a laundry room now!” Angel Dog executed her well-practised smile.

“Chef, please! Don’t handle him so roughly!” Catherine vigorously checked over the body for any new wounds. “Any new damage could affect my report.”

Chef just let out an annoyed huff through his nose.

“First, let’s see what Monoputa has for us…” Catherine pulled out her Monoputa File 4 and began to read it’s contents. “‘The time of death was around 1 AM. The victim was killed by two bullets, through the forehead and chest. The victim died in the playroom and there are puncture wounds all along the victim’s back.’”

“Puncture wounds? Those would be from the needles, wouldn’t they?” Angel Dog hand a hand on her chin as she stared at said objects, then narrowed her gaze suspiciously as she looked to Catherine. “The needles in _your_ office?”

“Of course they’re from my office, Angel Dog. That doesn’t mean _I_ did it,” Catherine returned the look evenly. “My office doesn’t lock, and anyone could have come and taken them at that hour.”

“Hmm, I suppose you’re right,” the fire drained from Angel Dog’s eyes. “But it _must_ have been the needles that caused the wounds anyhow.”

Catherine picked up one of the tiny needles and a bead of sweat dripped down her head. “W-well… If you’re so convinced, why don’t you test that for us?”

“Huh? But _you’re_ the nurse here, Catherine. Isn’t that kind of your job?”

“Well… I am under suspicion. The least I can do is let someone else try so you can have faith in me,” Catherine leaned forward, offering the needle to Angel Dog with a bit of a shaky smile. “It’s not that hard.”

“Needles kind of make me…” Angel Dog flew back a little bit. “… nervous.”

“This is for the case, Angel Dog. Please just try; it’s not that bad!” Angel Dog might have been imagining it, but she could have sworn she detected a hint of desperation.

“Well, I… I…” Angel Dog reached for the needle and suddenly started, a puff of smoke engulfing her. A few second later, Devil Dog was in her place. She snatched the needle from Catherine and grinned. “ _I_ have no problem with needles!”

“Oh, _great,_ ” Hell’s Chef rubbed his temples, his eyes narrowing into a scowl.

“Give the word, nursey. How do you want me to test it?” Devil Dog gave her trademark confident smirk.

“J-just see if the needles fit in every hole in Roulette Boy’s back,” Catherine felt it best to back up a few steps. “And do try not to make a mess of things… We still need that.”

Devil Dog rolled her eyes and flipped Roulette Boy onto his stomach. “Heh, not a problem! Though I can’t promise it won’t be a _little_ bit damaged, accident or not.”

Taking little care, Devil Dog shoved the needle’s tip into various wounds and attempted to move it from side to side in each. After a few goes, she made a grunt of surprise.

“Looks like it only fits in about two,” Devil Dog shrugged, tossing the needle to Catherine, who only just caught it. “Guess most of them were caused by something else.”

Catherine pondered this. “Were all the other holes the same size?”

“Nah, they were all different. Am I done here?” Devil Dog flipped her hair, obviously getting impatient. “I’m sick of looking at your ugly faces.”

“Shut up…” Hell’s Chef sneered quietly.

“Hey! I’m talking!” Devil Dog turned on him, flying closer than necessary.

“Go…AWAY!” Hell’s Chef shoved her back a few feet, sending Devil Dog spinning.

As the two continued to bicker, Catherine meticulously placed the needle into the evidence bag and began to search the room for objects that may have caused the extra marks. “I have some work to do…”

 

_GHS_

 

“Investigating in here could take an eternity!” Clock Master announced unhappily as he swung open the entrance to the shop. “All these nooks and crannies… any sort of evidence could be hidden! This is outrageous! I want this cactus to pay _NOW!”_

Gregory slid past his rotund ally and commented whilst peering at the wares: “I’m afraid your attachment for the boy is making you rather _angry…_ Perhaps you should leave such feelings aside and focus, or something _bad_ might happen.”

“No need to take that tone with me!” he followed him, wagging a disapproving finger, containing a few prickles. “But you’re right. I just…”

Halting with a sigh, Gregory put a hand on his shoulder. “Save it, my friend. We both have felt the responsibility of neglectful care.”

Clock Master looked at him in brief surprise; it was like he had forgotten who he was talking to and the losses this rat had suffered. He smiled in some form of content. Words were not said nor were they needed to be as the old men locked eyes in a mutual understanding of comfort and trust.

“You aren’t so bad, Gregory,” Clock Master held his chin, his happiness shining through. “Perhaps we should grab a drink together some time.”

Gregory chuckled. “Your offer is a tempting one. Though, I must insist that you try not to go all out, my friend. You don’t want to _lose yourself…_ ”

Scoffing, Clock Master selectively only took in the first sentence. “Tempting eh? I knew it! I can see you as a tequila man, hohoho!”

“You guess right. But such affairs will have to wait until more peaceful times…”

“You do excellent work, killing the mood,” Clock Master sighed, the realising his word choice, his anger and regret began to synthesise again and his voice became stiff. “Alright. We must focus.”

Gregory delicately examined the wares upon the shelves, handling anything suspicious with utmost care. Nothing seemed to jump out at him though. No guns or bloodstained objects in sight. Meanwhile, after a brief scan of the room, Clock Master remained transfixed by the vending machine and pondered its possibilities.

“Do you believe some evidence could be in one of these capsules?” Clock master queried with a smirk.

“My friend, these addictive novelties are corrupting your mind. If… the _culprit_ did do such a thing, I’m sure they would have known you would find it soon enough. Besides, I’m not sure they could have created their own capsule. Monoputa _does_ seem to make them, after all.” Clock Master’s addictive personality amused Gregory to no end. It was bound to get the clock in trouble…

Clock Master brought down his fist on the machine in a mix of resonating anger and mild disappointment. “You may be right… I thought this might be an easy way of finding evidence. But it’s never easy. That doesn’t mean I’m going to stop. I _WILL_ bring justice to that boy!”

Silence reigned. ! few moments more and Clock Master brought down his fist even harder, cracking the glass. Gregory bit his lip. After one more swift glance over the room, Gregory calmly grasped the clock’s shoulders and steered him to the door.

“Perhaps it’s best we move on and put our mind to other areas, hmm?” Gregory guided him to the hall.

_He’s not being of much use here… It will certainly be interesting to see how this plays out, though jeapordising our chances of survival is not ideal._ Gregory frowned as these thoughts whirled around.

Without hesitation, Gregory swung open the door to lost property and he and Clock Master stood aghast at the mounds of unclaimed objects. Gregory sighed and pulled a hand down his face while Clock Master creased his with determination.

“I had no idea there was so much…” Gregory moaned, his eyes bulging at the sheer quanitity.

“You’ve never been in here, Gregory?” Clock Master stared at him bewilderedly.

“There was never anything I needed to search for.” A sly smirk crossed the old rat’s face. “Although, some say I _have_ lost my marbles…”

Clock Master shook his head and strode forward. “Save the jokes for the bar, Gregory. There is no doubt the culprit his evidence in this mountain of objects.”

With a hasty look to either side, Gregory backed away uncomfortably. He was _not_ investigating in that endless mountain! “M-My friend, th-this is a lot of items! Perhaps I should go ahead and investigate the _mess_ of hallways while you stay here? I-It would certainly cover more ground…” He fumbled with the door handle behind his back.

“Wait! Do you see this?” Clock Master dropped to his knees, his body blocking what he was examining from Gregory’s view.

He sighed with resignation. “My friend, this is not a good use of our-” A surprised wail erupted from his throat.

In the shaking palms of the old clock were two silver, slightly blood splattered guns. They rattled as he quivered, though Gregory could not determine the emotion causing it.

“Th-that-! It can’t be!”

“The murder weapon! I told you we would find something!” Clock Master popped the guns in his evidence bag. “We’re one step closer to persecuting that ridiculous cactus!”

“B-but, where did you find them?!” Gregory goggled at the pile, then back at his companion.

“Hidden just beneath this pile of rubbish.” Clock Master proudly gestured to the heap of junk before him, consisting of old or broken objects. “He obviously did not want it found…”

“B-but, this makes no sense! Didn’t Gunman and Cactus Girl say it was lost since the last trial? I heard they’d been searching heavily in here!” Gregory protested confusedly. “To find it only _just_ covered-”

“He wouldn’t have told us if he’d found his _weapon!”_ Clock Master insisted like it was the most basic of concepts. “He must have retrieved it, then hidden it again to act like he’d never found it in the first place!”

Rising to his knees triumphantly with a steely glint in his eye, Clock Master grabbed Gregory’s arm and grinned wildly. “We’re hot on that rascal’s trail! Don’t stop now, Gregory! Who knows what else he hid here!”

Gregory’s shoulders sagged. This was going to be a long investigation…

 

_GHS_

 

“Clock Master said to check Roulette Boy’s room…” Sarah muttered to herself as much as to Cactus Gunman. “Do you have any inkling of who did this, Gunman?”

After stroking his bruised chin for a few moments, Cactus Gunman shook his head. “None at all, senorita. Everyone has gotten very good at taking the suspicions off of them. Do you… not think that I did it?” He looked at Sarah hopefully as she glanced over her shoulder at him.

“Well, no one is free from suspicion…” Sarah turned her head forward again, folding her arms, and Gunman felt his heart sink down to his feet. “… but I have faith in you. You lost your guns, after all.”

Cactus Gunman positively glowed, feeling his face flush.

“Besides, your sister has a point. You couldn’t hit a shot like that.” Sarah snorted a bit, in spite of everything.

“HNNG?!” Cactus Gunman clutched his chest where an invisible arrow pierced his heart. He had never felt so emasculated.

Sarah was completely oblivious to Gunman’s bruised ego. “Here we are!” Sarah turned the doorknob to Roulette Boy’s room and was greeted by a floor made up of tiles that looked straight out of a board game. He had a dresser that seemed way too tall for him to even use, with a small wastebasket at the foot of it. His bed was in a complete state of disarray; his colorful sheets obviously never fixed since the day Roulette Boy was trapped here. Discarded comic books littered the floor and Cactus Gunman nearly slipped on one when he entered.

“Er, what did Clock Master say to look for again?” Gunman asked, daunted by the mess.

“Well, nothing _specifically…_ Just suspicious stuff,” Sarah shrugged, hoping her memory was right. “There must be some evidence in here. Let’s be thorough.”

The two of them went through the room, checking every nook and cranny for the slightest hint of something that could point them towards Roulette Boy’s killer. Cactus Gunman shimmied under the bed and found nothing of note. Sarah practically tore the closet apart and found zilch. The two were ready to give up when Sarah spotted a single crumpled paper in the trash can.

“What’s this…?” she wondered aloud, bending down to get it. She uncrumpled it and her eyebrows shot up when she saw it’s contents. “Gunman… look at this:”

_Roulette Boy,_

_For a while now I’ve watched you play alone and only seen you with company when Clock Master_ _feels like_ _joining you. You look so lonely. And I want to change that. I know the others will laugh when they see someone of my age playing with a kid, so how about you come and meet me in the playroom? Right now. If the others find this, I don’t want them to mock me, so for now, I’ll sign as:_

_Your secret friendmirerer~_

Cactus Gunman gasped and covered his mouth, his eyes bulging. Sarah sighed and slipped the note into her evidence bag. “I know… how could someone be so heartless as to prey on a child’s loneliness? Why would they even _want_ to kill him?”

“I… do not know…” Gunman still seemed distant. “He was not the… nicest of children. But… murder…”

“This situation is making fools of us all,” Sarah bowed her head. “I don’t think we’ll find anything else in here. Shall we move on?”

After Gunman’s approval, the two traversed down the hall, investigating the storeroom and finding nothing out of place. It wasn’t until the library that their eyebrows were raised once more.

Lying on a table was one of the books Monoputa had given them all those weeks ago, left gaping open on Roulette Boy’s page. Every one of the the little boy’s vulnerable points was maliciously highlighted with a blood splatter and cruel messages were directed to them with arrows. Two of the vulnerable points were the head and chest. In the corner, Monoputa’s cheeky face was crudely drawn with the message 'Befriend him and you’ll have the best opportunity to strike!’.

Also on the table was the usual lamp and a notepad and pencil. At the front, it was evident a few pages had been torn away. Sarah pathetically placed her hand on the book.

“Whoever it was, they definitely had murderous intent,” she mumbled.

“I-it does seem that way, senorita,” Gunman trudged over to the notepad, refusing to look at the book anymore, and scooped it up in his little prickled grasp. “This… belongs to Hell’s Chef?”

Sarah nodded affirmatively. “Sometimes I see him use it when I read in here. He picks books and takes notes in it to use in recipes. That doesn’t necessarily make him a suspect though; it’s always sitting there.”

“Then how do we know if this was even used?” Gunman furrowed his brow, the cogs in his brain working furiously. “Chef… He may have been the only one to have taken some pages.”

“I guess we can match up the rips in the page to the notepad,” it was Sarah’s turn to do some hard thinking. “Though I don’t recall any other papers to write on, plus the book is right here. But we don’t have time to think now! Who knows how soon Monoputa will tell us we’re out of time… Put that in your evidence bag, I got the book.”

Gunman jumped and hastily did as he was told while Sarah grasped the book and heaved a sigh. _Whoever did this… They must have been really affected by the nightmares. They ended Roulette Boy’s life and put their own at risk just to get them to stop. Who knows what’s going through their mind…_

“S-senorita?” Gunman edged closer and put a hand on her shoulder.

“I’m fine. Just… thinking…” Shaking her head, she tucked the evil book into her evidence bag. “Come on, it’s not over yet.”

 

_GHS_

 

All had seemed placid and quiet for Steve and Cactus Girl on their ascent to the first floor. They had agreed to start at rear with the bathhouse and then proceed around the front to the gym, followed by the office. The bathhouse and gym had been as calm as usual, even after thorough searches. It was when they entered the nurse’s office that things took a drastic turn. The two stood bewildered in the doorway, afraid that Clock Master’s hunch had been right.

The usually spotless office had had its belongings thrown about. On the chest of drawers, the books that were probably in a neat line had clattered down. A bottle of pills had been spilt at the bottom of the drawers and it’s contents were splattered over the floor amongst some papers. A few drawers themselves sat slightly open and the bed for sick and injured patients was crooked, with sheets askew.

“Ohhh no…” Steve felt sick to his stomach. “How come Clock Master had to be right…”

Cactus Girl sniffed, still a little unnerved. “It was certainly a messy killing. The culprit must have made a lot of mistakes.”

“This really _was_ an act of desperation and impulse…” Steve struggled to swallow a lump in his throat. “Those nightmares… I have no clue how much longer I would have been able to take them.”

“I cannot imagine you killing anyone,” Cactus Girl gave Steve a thin smile before starting to look through the drawers. “Hmm, whoever came through here was in quite a hurry…”

“They must have been afraid of being discovered…” Steve let out an enormous sigh. “But… why Roulette Boy? Who would have nightmares centered around him?” Steve crouched down and began absent-mindedly rooting through the papers that were tossed on the floor.

 

After a few moments of silence, Steve bristled and his head snapped in Cactus Girl’s direction. “Roulette Boy is always insulting your brother… do you think-”

Cactus Girl glared over her shoulder at Steve and coldly said “ _No.”_

Steve bit his lip and turned his attention back to the papers. “Sorry… I didn’t mean to imply anything…” Sighing as he realized these papers wouldn’t get him anywhere, he rose to his feet. “Do you have any theories?”

“I still think it was Catherine,” Cactus Girl folded her arms. “Though we’ll have to wait until the trial to be certain.” Steve nodded compliantly she murmured. “It looks like all this chaos is based around the drawers.”

“Yeah…” Steve headed over to examine it. “And some of them are open?”

“Some of them were like that when I got here, the others I was looking through,” she informed him.

Steve seemed a bit calmer. “Oh. Well what was in them?”

Cactus Girl shuffled her feet. “I am no expert on medicine so, I could not tell if anything was out of place. But, everything seemed in order…”

“Didn’t you check the labels?” Steve guided.

“Que?”

“The labels on the drawers, silly!” Steve smiled affectionately. He shut one of the topmost drawers and pointed to the white label stuck above the handle. In big black letters, the words 'SEDATIVES, ANTACID AND HEADACHE MEDICINE’ were scrawled. Clearly Catherine’s handwriting was not the best… even so, her I’s were dotted with hearts, even on her labels.

Cactus Girl blinked, then rested her head in her hand. “Dios mio… I am sorry, Steve. I am still so tired from all these nightmares… I am just glad they’re over.”

“Me too,” he smiled so sweetly that Cactus Girl turned tomato red and looked away with a soft smile of her own. “Was that a smile I saw…?”

Cactus Girl gave him a light shove and turned even redder, not daring to speak lest she let her happiness spill.

Steve giggled, then began to shut all the drawers, reading the labels as he did. “Here, syringes!”

Reopening it, Steve frowned in puzzlement as he held up the medicine within. “Mushrooms of some kind?”

Cactus Girl rechecked the label. “It says it contains 'SYRINGES AND LAUGHING 'SHROOMS’.”

“I guess this is where they came from,” Steve mumbled, putting back his fungi find. “These don’t really help our case, though…”

“I guess we found all we can…” Cactus Girl shrugged a little, looking at the door. “Let’s go find the others… oh, and…” Cactus Girl bit her lip for a moment before looking up at Steve. “I am sorry for snapping at you earlier. I believe in my brother; he’s the most important person in the world to me. I know he would not kill anyone.”

“I’m sorry for suggesting it!” Steve squeaked a little, a bit startled by Cactus Girl’s sudden apology. “Don’t worry; I won’t hold it against you.”

Cactus Girl smiled right into Steve’s eyes. “I will not hold this against you either.” Standing on her toes, she hugged the blushing Steve around the chest and gently kissed him on the lips.

Mere milliseconds after they made contact, Monoputa’s voice rang out over the loudspeakers, and Steve broke away from Cactus Girl out of sheer shock. “Hellooooo, charges! It’s finally time for the house trial! Make your way over to the elevator, and make it snappy!” With a crackling noise, Monoputa’s voice ceased.

“W-we should go,” Steve said softly, blushing deeper. “Let’s get through this, t-together.”

“Si,” Cactus Girl took his hand. “I would not want it any other way.”

 

_GHS_

 

Sarah and Gunman were the first to reach the elevator and waited patiently in each other’s company. When the last of the gang, Steve and Cactus Girl, came into view at the bottom of the far staircase, Monoputa jumped out like a wound-up jack-in-the-box.

“Get over here, you tweeting lovebirds!” Monoputa hollered causing the two to exchange a glance before increasing their pace. “My my, there are so _few_ of you! And you know what? That number’s just about to lower even more! Ahahahaa!”

Clock Master gave a pointed look to Gunman, who began to sweat profusely. “M-Monoputa, c-can you please-”

“What’s the matter, wimp? Afraid of being in the… _line of fire?”_ Monoputa fell to his knees and cackled some more, having the time of his life. Devil Dog smirked and rolled her eyes.

_“Monoputa.”_ Sarah interrupted pointedly. She had had enough of him being picked on…

“Sor- _ree,_ Nancy Drew! Clearly you want to do your detective work already,” Monoputa gave a satisfied wink. “Let’s not delay it any longer~! Everyone get their big cabooses in the elevator!”

Being the first to arrive, Sarah barged in first, instinctively flattening into the wall to wait for the onslaught of passengers. Her heart fell at the tiny number of entrants and the gaping empty space around them. _Monoputa was right…_

The prompter himself grinned up at them as the doors began to close. “Down, down and away you go! Iiiiit’s TRIAL TIME~!”

The doors shut on his malicious grin and the elevator rumbled to a start. Clock Master glared pointed objects and Gunman who shakily tried to ignore them. A new wave of confidence washed over her like a smack to the face. _This time, I’ll find the truth and I’ll save my friend! There’s no way in hell I’m going to lose!_


	24. Needling the Evidence

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Come on, everybody, it’s TRIAL TIME! Gorgeous illustrations from the usual crowd of Lizzie, Lizzy, and Mika! I hope all of you enjoy it, and please tell us what you think! Enjoy speculating and the suspense until the second part of this trial!_   
>  _Also, word of warning, this chapter contains #needles!_

With a clatter, the motion stopped and the elevator door grated aside to reveal the courtroom where everyone would once again have to fight for their lives. As the company emerged, Sarah couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow.

The ominous haunted house styled walls were now decorated with vast, vibrant rainbow streaks, with different coloured splotches on top. Surprisingly, the floor was jet black, which did not seem to fit with the walls at _all,_ but the pedestals were their usual morose brown and the bonsai pots still winged Monoputa’s throne. The only other change was the two new portraits taking residence in Gregory Mama’s and Roulette Boys’ podiums. The latter’s portrait stood on a stool, just like the boy had once done.

“Hey hey hey!” Monoputa flipped into the open from his hiding place within the circle of podiums. “Like what I’ve done with the place?” He strolled around casually, admiring his work. “As soon as I knew the kid kicked it, I tried to make the room JUUUST like him~! A mix of rainbows and fun…” He grinned, flourishing his arms as he leaned against the wall as if to gesture to its vast expanse. Then, dramatically, he leaned over to touch his toes. “…and a world of darkness and death! Don’t you just looove it~? Isn’t it to DIE for, Clock Master?”

“Kh…!” The man winced, holding back his own fist. It was getting too much for him. “I need a drink…”

“Pffft, well _screw_ you!” Devil Dog waved her pitchfork in an exasperated fashion. “I can tell both that goody-goody and I think it rocks! Heheh, for different reasons of course.”

Hell’s Chef grunted in surprise, but otherwise stayed silent.

A low rumble started in Clock Master’s throat as Monoputa blushed and giggled. “At least there’s still you~…”

"Señor, please,” Gunman pleaded to Clock Master and his growing rumble. Perhaps he was trying to make amends? “Try to calm-”

“I DON’T WANT TO HEAR THAT FROM YOU!” Clock Master swooped on him like an eagle, grabbing his poncho in both fists before roughly shoving him away.

Sarah’s heart skipped a beat as Gunman clattered to the floor. She quickly rushed over with Cactus Girl and a hesitant Steve, checking for injuries.

“Clock Master!” Catherine tutted as he shuffled to his podium.

“Hmm, for once, I think that clock is onto something!” Monoputa smiled wickedly. “Take your seats already, we’ve stalled long enough. Time for thrills, chills and definitely more _kills!”_

The crowd murmured together as they took their places. Sarah took Gunmans hand and hoisted him up, ignoring the pain his prickles caused. With a hopeful smile at Steve and Cactus Girl, they made their way to their podiums. Sarah saw Gregory pat Clock Master on the back on the way to his seat. Those two were all alone on one side of the courtroom, separated by Neko Zombie’s photo, while the rest of them stayed in a line together on the other side, with surprisingly no portraits between them.

To Sarah’s right, Catherine’s eyes were glazed with worry. She placed her hand on Catherine’s arm. “Hey. Don’t worry, we’ll get to the bottom of this.” She was surprised she had to say it. Usually Catherine was getting everyone _else’s_ head in the game.

Catherine looked forward, ominously murmuring: “That’s not what I’m afraid of.”

Before Sarah could voice her confusion, Monoputa’s grating tone boomed over. “Settle down, settle down, ladies! I know you two were discussing how hot I am, but for now, that can wait.” He winked at Sarah as the low key chatter ceased. “Now come on, do I gotta remind you of the rules again? Well _too bad!_ You all should know this by round four!” He pulled out a mallet with Gregory Mama’s face on one of it’s flat sides and smashed it on his hard chair. “So, let the trial begin~!”

Catherine was quick to jump in. “I think we should discuss the condition of the body, first of all. There are still unsolved mysteries there.”

"Yeah.” Devil Dog’s nose twitched as she recalled Roulette Boy’s corpse. “That pipsqueak was shot twice, but still had smaller holes and scratches. Heh, wonder which of you sickos coulda done that…”

“I can think of a couple people who would enjoy torturing a child…” Clock Master ground his teeth so hard Sarah could hear it from where she stood. “…And those smaller holes must have been made by needles to do just that!”

“Que?! Dios _mio_ that is cruel, even to a t-tough hombre like myself,” Gunman’s mumbled. “H-h-how do you know that?”

Clock Master’s gaze was so icy it froze the poor cactus in place. “If it wasn’t torture, there’s no reason for the BLOOD FILLED needles to even _be_ there! It is the _only reason_ holes and scrapes would be made!”

"No.”

Hell’s Chef interjected so bluntly, with such finality, the courtroom chatter ground to a halt. When he showed no sign of continuing, Catherine sighed and elaborated.

“Devil Dog, Chef and I tested just how many of the wounds were made by the…needles and we confirmed only two of them were. Something else made those other scrapes, so we can’t be sure it was all the needle’s doing.”

“So, the needles _weren’t_ used for torture?” Sarah clarified, twirling her ponytail as she thought.

"It’s not clear yet. Until we discuss more, we shouldn’t jump to conclusions.” After giving Clock Master a hard stare,Catherine looked away. “But the least, they didn’t make a lot of those marks.”

“Then, what could have, might I ask?” Gregory prompted.

“But there weren’t any other sharp objects at the scene, right?” Steve scratched his cheek, obviously shaky.

Sarah closed her eyes as she tried to recall her time in the playroom. They shot open after a few moments and she gasped. “Wait!”

The entire courtroom looked at her in anticipation. Monoputa raised an eyebrow and smirked at her.

“I remember Roulette Boy playing with action figures in the playroom not long ago… they all had really pointed bayonets and swords and all kinds of weapons… definitely nothing a kid should be touching, but definitely something to expect from Monoputa. Roulette Boy’s body was found in the toybox, which was _filled_ with them. I was so preoccupied with the murder I didn’t think of the toys causing those wounds…” Sarah was happy she realized this when she did.

"Well is there any way to prove that?” Cactus Girl asked curiously. “The toys, they would be bloodied regardless, wouldn’t they? The blood would have dripped down and covered them.”

“Yes,” said Hell’s Chef. “When I moved the body… It was stiff at first… Like it was stuck in place!”

“Heh, I knew I heard a squelch when it moved,” Devil Dog grinned, displaying a pointed set of teeth. “Guess the kid’s flesh was sliding off of those pointy toys.”

“If Roulette Boy was put in there directly after his death, he would still have bled from the puncture wounds…” Catherine murmured her thoughts aloud. She gasped. “All the blood… It would have disguised the toys as the source!”

“The killer did _that_ to make us think it was all the needles?!” Gunman covered his mouth in shock. “Th-they are one smart hombre… O-or senorita!” He added hastily after a suspicious look from Clock Master.

"But why go to all that trouble?” Steve wondered aloud. He looked to Catherine.

“They may be my… needles… but… that doesn’t really mean I did it!” It was then Sarah noticed her face had been getting consistently redder through the course of the trial…

“Well they _are_ under your care…” Gregory grinned slyly. “Forgive me for jumping to the _natural_ conclusion.”

Catherine tried to rebuke, but Sarah quickly cut in before things got too ugly. “Wait! This killer, they tried to make it look like all the wounds were from the needles right?”

Devil Dog clapped. “Way to go, Nancy Drew. You’re catching on.”

Sarah shot her a look. “Thanks… But think about it, if it was Catherine, why would she make it seem the needles had a worse effect than they actually did? Wouldn’t that just draw attention to it?”

"It would certainly link her as the killer. Hmm…” Cactus Girl went into thought.

“Doing something so obvious… Stupid…” Chef mumbled.

Steve shrugged. “I guess it wouldn’t make sense if it were her.”

“How can you young’uns _possibly_ be this blind?! Roulette Boy was shot with _his_ guns,” Clock Master stabbed a finger at Gunman, “so clearly he’s pinning it on Catherine to cover it up! And failing miserably…”

"M-m-my guns went missing! It’s not me!” Gunman protested.

“Yes! Steve and Sarah saw us searching together in the lost and found on the first day after the last trial. The three of us _know_ they are gone!” Cactus Girl jumped in without a shred of hesitation. “So the committer of this crime could be _anyone!_ Now stop picking on my brother!”

"Don’t you talk that way to me-!” Clock Master barked.

“My friend, she does make some compelling evidence.” Gregory nodded sagely. “Perhaps you should let this rest for now.”

With a begrudging groan, Clock Master pursed his lips and said no more.

“I… think he might be on to something…” Steve murmured.

“ _What?”_ Cactus Girl looked like he had slapped her square in the face.

“N-no no! Not like that!” He looked apologetically to Gunman who, instead of being terrified, looked like he wanted to throttle Steve. “I mean framing Catherine. B-because, if that is true, it would explain what we found… Right?”

“Hmm… I think so,” Cactus Girl offered Steve a small, proud smile.

“Nnnngh… WHAT IS IT?!” The impatient Chef stomped as he screamed.

Cactus Girl screwed up her face with displeasure. “Ignore him, seester-” Gunman began.

“Yeah, ignore the whining baby in the courtroom,” Devil Dog rolled her eyes.

After waiting a few moments in surprise, Gunman sighed. “… Please, just tell us what you discovered.”

She exchanged a glance with Steve before recounting their discovery. “Steve and I explored the top floor, as Clock Master told us to. Everything was as it should be… Until we came to the nurse’s office. Papers were thrown _all_ over the floor and things were tipped over… It was a mess. The only thing missing were the needles.”

“So… if it really was Catherine, I don’t think she would have been as careless. She would know her way around her office,” Steve concluded.

“That does make quite a bit of sense, my friends,” Gregory agreed, nodding in his creepy way. Sarah was relieved, but shuddered all the same.

“Trying to pin this on me, huh?” Catherine folded her arms, her expression an odd mix of amusement and disgust. “Good thing all of us are too smart to fall for that.”

“But what I do not understand is that, of everyone here, why were _you_ targeted?” Cactus Girl seemed dumbfounded, shrugging her shoulders as she spoke.

Catherine merely flicked her tongue. “All I know is that my office door doesn’t lock. Considering this happened at night, going there was probably the only option to pin it on someone.”

"I’d like to know when the needles even got there…” Gregory cast his eyes over everyone.

“Don’t waste our time with stupid questions!” Clock Master growled, banging his fist on the wood. “We’re trying to find a murderer, not continuously fret over some silly medical supplies.”

“You must _listen,_ my friend,” Gregory insisted, an irritated edge in his tone. “In order for such a ruse to be executed, the needles must have already been present in the room, or else, the blood would have gone everywhere!”

Twisting her scowl into a pondering expression, Devil Dog muttered “the blood from the punk’s bullet wounds?”

Nodding as she processed these words, Sarah found her voice. “I think it is safe to say from that, that this was _definitely_ a premeditated murder.”

An enormous silence washed over the courtroom like a sudden tsunami. Accusatory glares were shot, Steve looked down at his feet, and what seemed like hours seemed to pass before someone finally spoke up again.

"That seems _very_ obvious to me,” Clock Master shook. “It is unlikely someone could _accidentally_ shoot a child through the chest and head.” He raised his steely eyes. “Which brings me to my next point - these guns!”

In a swift movement, Clock Master dove into his evidence bag and retrieved his find from the investigation, much to the shock of the others, especially Gunman. The only one unfazed was Hell’s Chef.

"Whatever.” He muttered.

“M-m-my missing guns! Dios mio, I missed them…” The cactus let out a sigh that sounded heavenly to Sarah’s ears. “Where did you find them, senor?”

“I’ll answer that one, my friend,” Gregory gave his usual unnerving smile. “This was the only thing of note Clock Master and I found in the basement. It was in the lost property area, no less, and barely hidden.”

Cactus Girl jumped in before Clock Master could run off his mouth. “Since we _know_ my brother lost them, someone must have found them, used them, then hidden them after the crime, correct?”

“Heh, seems possible. After all, any good killer doesn’t want their murder weapon on them,” Devil Dog nodded wisely, seeming to have learnt her lesson from the first trial. “They probably wanted to get rid of it as soon as possible to not get caught.”

Sarah still struggled to be comfortable with how Devil Dog had such clear insight into a killer’s mind. She much preferred Angel Dog…

Steve was sweating bullets; Sarah was surprised that a puddle wasn’t forming at his feet. His shirt was liberally soaked and his hands were shaking. “H-how do we know the g-guns weren’t planted there by… Clock Master or Gregory? T-t-they were so easily f-found…”

Clock Master and Gregory both gave him looks so cold Steve completely ceased his shaking, his teeth clamping together and biting his tongue so hard he tasted blood.

Cactus Gunman sighed a bit. “Well, I will not lie. I spent most of the evening with Clock Master. We were in the bar, trying to forget our worries. I left him in a drunken stupor… he could not have hidden the guns in that condition, nor have shot accurately.”

“You left early, didn’t you…?” Clock Master’s expression darkened. “How about that, eh, Gunman?”

“My stomach was causing me trouble…” Cactus Gunman admitted, trying his best not to break his eye contact with Clock Master despite his knocking knees.

“Sounds like a flimsy excuse to me!” Devil Dog cackled. “I actually saw Clock Master stumbling through the lobby after drinking; no guns to be found! And if he had one pokin’ out of his pocket, you bet I would have noticed!”

“You mean _we_ you rascally dog,” Gregory scowled. “I was arguing with Devil Dog at that time. All I wanted was a peaceful, quiet walk at the time. I did _not_ deserve such an insult…”

"Insult…?” Hell’s Chef echoed. “EXPLAIN!”

Devil Dog snickered as Gregory let out a defeated sigh. “She asked ‘how is your dead family doing?’. Asking that of such a defeated man… It is outrageous!”

Somehow hearing it retold caused Devil Dog to burst into a fit of proud laughter.

“You stop that!” Gregory insisted.

Monoputa burst into laughter as well. “WOW, good one, babe! That’s one for the ages!”

Sarah loudly cleared her throat. “So Devil Dog, you can say neither of them had Gunman’s pistols on them then?”

“You betcha! Not sure those goons even know how to use one anyway,” Devil Dog jeered.

“And Gregory didn’t leave for a long while?” Sarah continued her barrage of questions.

“Heh, the rat kept me entertained for hours!” Devil Dog was having a blast, waving her pitchfork excitedly.

Gregory clearly thought differently. “I lost a lot of good sleep thanks to you!”

“Hmph, then neither Gregory nor Clock Master could have done it. Nice try, Steve,” Catherine smirked, her face slowly losing it’s red tinge.

The boy smiled with a mix of nervousness and awkwardness. He gulped and looked away.

“I-if it wasn’t them, a-a-and the culprit really did put the guns there… Then I’m surprised s-someone who could pull off the needle trick didn’t hide the guns so well.” Steve offered uncomfortably.

“They weren’t _too_ tidy with the needles either. The nurse’s office was a _mess…_ someone was clearly struggling in search of those needles…” Cactus Girl flipped one of her braids over her shoulder. “Might have been darkness, or lack of sleep… or just sheer desperation.”

"How big were those needles again?” Devil Dog made grabby hands. “Hey, Cathy, can we see?”

“Uh, I-I… I see no reason why we need to look at them!” Catherine shut her evidence bag, lowering her eyes and blushing profusely.

Cactus Gunman raised his eyebrows and exchanged a suspicious look with Sarah. _What was going on?_

“Why are you hiding them, missy?” Devil Dog flew over to Catherine, wagging her tail as she smirked. “That’s mighty suspicious, if you ask me!”

“Get away from me!” Catherine took a step back. “I have my reasons, all right?!”

“This is an open trial! Now let’s see what’s in that bag!” Devil Dog flew around Catherine, but Catherine was too deft for her. Catherine swirled around, took in an enormous breath, snatched a needle from the bag, and plunged it right into Devil Dog’s chest.

“WHAT THE-” Devil Dog barely got the words out when Catherine began extracting her blood, sighing with shivering ecstasy all the while.

The entire courtroom gasped and Monoputa jumped to his feet. “Hey! HEY! Cut that out!”

Catherine extracted the needle once it was full and gazed at the blood inside. “These are…” she panted. “… _far_ too small for my liking.” She grabbed another needle from the bag and her head snapped up, a sadistic grin crossing her face. “But they’ll do!”

She lunged for Devil Dog again but this time she managed to dodge.

“Get AWAY from me, you crazy lizard!” Devil Dog whacked Catherine with the handle of her pitchfork, sending her stumbling onto the floor. In her shock, Catherine squeezed the end of the needle, shooting blood out all over her uniform.

“Ahh… ahhh… ahahahaha… hehehehe…” Catherine’s shoulders shook in delight as she rose to her feet. “I’ve been holding this back for _soooooo_ long! It feels great to finally draw some _blood!”_

Catherine drew her head back, brandishing the two needles, and burst into a fit of loud, maniacal laughter.

Sarah shot back as far as she could in her stand, her heart in her throat and racing a million miles an hour. _Is this… the real Catherine?_

_ _


	25. I Hated Him

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _I’m not joking when I say that I feel like this chapter is Ven and me’s magnum opus. I’m proud of every sentence and GOD I really hope you guys like it! It’s a long one, so grab a snack, and prepare for a wild ride!_   
>  _Ready to find out who the murderer is? I bet you are!_   
>  _We have a lovely group of AMAZING artists this chapter, so I’d like to extend a great big thank you to Lizzie, Bebe, Mika, Lina, and Disgustiphage! Your incredible artwork really brought this chapter to life, and I’m so grateful I could cry!_   
>  _Enough rambling from me. Please enjoy the chapter and the beautiful art!! Thank you so much for sticking with this story, everyone, and please let us know what you thought!_

Catherine’s laughter echoed through the otherwise silent courtroom, bouncing off the walls and drilling into the brains of the onlookers. Even Monoputa was thrown for a loop; his jaw hanging open.

“That was nothing… I need more blood!” Catherine lunged for Devil Dog again but she quickly flew backwards.

“CATHERINE!” Monoputa snapped out of it, jumping up to his feet and stabbing a tiny finger at the nurse. “If you don’t stop harassing Devil Dog, I’ll execute you whether you’re guilty or not!”

“Hehehe… hmph…” Catherine’s chest heaved as she tried to calm down. “I… I can’t help myself… we’ve been trapped in here for _months…_ and I _finally_ got to draw blood!”

“And that’s all the blood you’re gonna draw in this place!” Monoputa angrily toddled over to the deranged nurse. “I’m confiscating those needles from you! And I’m going to take all the ones in your office away too!”

“Wh-what? No! I-I _need_ these!” Catherine twisted her body, trying to shield the needles from Monoputa’s oncoming approach. As she did so, her eyes briefly locked with Sarah’s. It was long enough for Sarah to see a lustful glint, signalling she would be next.

_“Catherine!”_ Monoputa lunged at her, climbing her like a tree and snaking his way up her arm. “Give them to me!”

Catherine squirmed and flailed, letting out cries of distress while Monoputa, not losing his balance for a moment, perhaps defying physics, sat on her arm like it was his steed and pried one of the needles from her hand, tossing it away. It fell at Gunman’s feet and the cactus jumped up and clung to the side of the podium like the sheer touch of it was toxic. Slowly, he bent down to grab it and held it behind his back, out of Catherine’s sight.

While Gunman was taking care of that needle, Monoputa scrambled to Catherine’s other arm and yanked the other one away. Despite Catherine tugging at the back of Monoputa’s coat, he did not budge, his legs having a death grip around her limb.

“Hey, hot stuff!” Devil Dog snarled to Monoputa. She threw her pitchfork to him. “Catch this and kick her ass!”

Instantly Monoputa dropped the needle which landed with a little _*tink*_ and began to roll away. Catherine made a start after it, her eyes crazed, but Monoputa caught Devil Dog’s present and pressed the pointed end viciously against her neck. She stopped short, gasping for air and pulled at him even harder.

“I wouldn’t move if I were you, or this _goes through your THROAT!”_ Monoputa screeched enragedly.

Catherine’s pupils grew twice their size and her arm weakly flopped to her side. Her face was getting redder by the second.

Revelling in the power, Monoputa waited a few torturous moments before continuing. “Now… we aren’t going to have any more problems, are we, _Catherine?!”_

“…N…o…” The lizard creaked. “No… we won't…”

A sadistic smile later, Monoputa hopped to the floor and Catherine dropped to her knees, sucking in air like a vacuum cleaner. The prompter scooped up the runaway needle and looked around, puzzled.

“Er, senor Monoputa?” Gunman opened his palm and offered the other needle with an uncomfortable forced smile.

Monoputa winked as he took it, murmuring “Thanks, Gunshow.” After tossing the pitchfork back to Devil Dog with a lovelorn sigh, he returned to his seat. “Alright you bastards, enough with the distractions! You just said that these two daddy-wannabes didn’t put the guns in lost property, big whoop. Now sort out what happened to the kid! Let’s get this going~!”

“S-senorita, we found evidence for this, yes?” Cactus Gunman looked at Sarah a bit nervously and she nodded.

“R-right.” She tried to compose herself, still jittery from the ordeal. It didn’t help when Catherine stood right beside her! “When we investigated Roulette Boy’s room, Gunman and I found a crumpled up letter in his trash.”

With a nervous side-glance to Catherine, she shakily pulled out the crumpled sheet of paper and read aloud its contents, receiving mixed reactions.

_Roulette Boy,_

_For a while now I’ve watched you play alone and only seen you with company when Clock Master feels like joining you. You look so lonely. And I want to change that. I know the others will laugh when they see someone of my age playing with a kid, so how about you come and meet me in the playroom? Right now. If the others find this, I don’t want them to mock me, so for now, I’ll sign as:_

_Your secret friendmirerer~_

Lowering the paper with a sigh, Sarah twirled a rebellious lock of hair that had escaped the constraints of her ponytail around her finger. “The murderer obviously wanted to take advantage of Roulette Boy’s lonely state.”

“And the little punk _fell_ for that?!” Devil Dog seemed sickly amused. “Man, he walked right into that one! Hehehehe!”

“Quiet!” Clock Master snapped at her. “Roulette Boy was _eight years old!_ There are no other children around for him to play with! It’s no wonder he clung to that strand of hope!”

He sagged over his podium, his body language screaming regret. “And I should have stopped him…”

“O-oh, don’t blame yourself, Clock Master,” Steve soothed, forcing a smile. “You couldn’t have known-”

Clock Master’s neck snapped up faster than a strike of lightning. “But I DID! I… I met the boy on his way to visit this…!” He banged his fist on his podium. “This MURDERER!”

“Hm?” The revelation caused even Hell’s Chef to muster a noise of surprise, his eyes flashing with interest. This whole ordeal was like one big recipe, stewing together…

“Huh? But that fleabag and I were… skulking around then too, and we never saw him.” Gregory tilted his head in that creepy, questioning way of his.

“He was walking to the basement’s second entrance while you two were in the lobby. You wouldn’t have seen each other…” Clock Master’s voice was laden with exhaustion and regret, and began to tremble. “But I did… He went so far as to tell me he was seeing a new friend! I took it for a new imaginary friend but I… I should have seen the signs! I… I even told him… To have a good time!” His hands moved to cover his face and he fell into a grief-stricken silence, oozing self-loathing.

“So that’s why you organized the search party? Because of that, you were just worried for him?” Sarah clarified. How he even knew to summon the search had been gnawing at the back of her brain for some time now.

In response, a slow nod.

“You should have kept a better watch over him, my friend…” Gregory’s eye glazed over as he leaned forward to give Clock Master a pointed look. “Don’t you know you should learn from the mistakes of others?”

“Well, we know now that he definitely fell for that note,” said Steve. He scratched his messy hair. “But where did it come from?”

“There was a pad of paper in the library…” Sarah added. “It had a big page torn out of it.”

“Chef… this is yours?” Cactus Gunman nervously produced the pad of paper. “You use this for your recipes, no?”

“I didn’t write the note!” Chef snapped. “I _knew_ someone STOLE my notepad! If I did this, I wouldn’t leave it right out in the open!” Chef unsheathed his knife and ran his finger along the dull side of the blade. “So many of you are thieves… when I find out who stole the notepad, I’ll-”

“YOU’LL do nothing,” Monoputa pointed at him, reclining back on his throne with a smirk. “Fun as it would be, I’M the one who does the killing!”

“You don’t need to remind us…” Cactus Girl muttered with her arms crossed. She ground her teeth in anger that she could not do more to that wicked prompter. “So, Hell’s Chef. What do you mean it was stolen? Stolen from where?”

“My kitchen, you _fools!”_ Hell’s Chef roared like it was the most obvious thing on the planet.

Steve put on his thinking cap. “W-well, that’s not very secure, so… it’s not a _big_ surpri-”

Hell’s Chef leered over the side of his podium and got in Steve’s face. “If it’s in the kitchen, it’s _mine._ Anyone who takes from it will deal with _ME!”_

With a yelp of fright, Steve clattered to the floor. “W-wait, i-it wasn’t me!”

_“Hey.”_ Cactus Girl threatened, blocking Chef’s view of Steve and adopting a protective posture.

“Tubby, what did we _just_ talk about~?” Monoputa’s voice stayed cheery, but his expression showed he was near the end of his rope. “If I get _one more_ violent outburst from _any_ of you, votes will be cast immediately! And you don’t want that, do you~?”

“Hrrgh…” Hell’s Chef folded his arms.

“…Back on topic,” Sarah ventured courageously. “You’re saying you keep the notepad in the kitchen, Hell’s Chef?”

“Yes…” Hell’s Chef snarked.

“Then… what Steve said _was_ right!” She deduced with a hint of pride. “Just like the nurse’s office, the kitchen has no locks. So whoever wanted to use the notepad could have easily gone in and grabbed it, just like they did-” She abruptly broke off her excited rant with a wide-eyed glance at Catherine. She didn’t want the word to perhaps trigger her into another fit.

“So the killer is _also_ a thief on many accounts as well!” Clock Master glowered, dropping the side of his fist into an open palm with a satisfactory _smack_. “This wretch is certainly a bad apple. This makes things even more unforgivable!”

Sarah folded her arms in a vain attempt to give herself a feeling of security. She couldn’t believe someone among them could be so despicable… Steve groaned and rubbed his arm uncomfortably.

“So much of this isn’t tying together… Can we… Can we go over everything, just once?” He asked.

Cactus Girl smiled coolly at him. “I think that could do us all some good.”

“Alright,” Sarah nodded with acceptance, trying to forget the unease writhing in her stomach. “Well, it’s obvious those things were stolen. The needles, I mean,” she cast a quick, wary glance at Catherine, who instantly burst into a deep scarlet blush. “And… we established that the wounds on Roulette Boy weren’t made by the needles, save for a few to pin it on Catherine.”

“The… the nurse’s office was in complete disarray…” Steve spoke up, scratching at his cheek and trying to do his part. “Even if it was dark and she was going on complete lack of sleep, Catherine knows that place like the back of her hand… I’ve seen her work.”

“All of my drawers are labelled!” Catherine stated proudly. “Not that I need the labels, mind you. Like Steve said, I’m a _professional.”_

“A professional who gets off on sticking her patients with needles…” Devil Dog hissed under her breath, rubbing the bloodied spot on her chest. “That’s too twisted, even for me…”

“This… thief…” Hell’s Chef squinted his glowing eyes and Sarah could practically see steam rising up from his collar.

“Do not forget, they stole my guns as well!” Cactus Gunman whined, tearing at his mustache.

“This was surely premeditated, no doubt about it,” Gregory nodded sagely.

“There’s more proof of that!” Sarah remembered, clicking her fingers like her thought sparking to life. “One of the books that Monoputa gave us all those weeks ago was in the library, and opened on Roulette Boy’s page… whoever was in the library sure left in a hurry…”

“Wait!” Clock Master’s eyes lit up. “Remember, Sarah? Some of us destroyed the books! I know I did; I threw it in the garbage pile once the garden was open.”

“You’re right…” Sarah smiled at Clock Master. “That will really narrow down the possible culprits!” Sarah’s smile faded away and she felt a pang of sadness in her heart. “After Mummy Papa… I couldn’t bear to look at the thing anymore. I threw it in the trash, too.”

“I burned mine,” Hell’s Chef’s baritone rumbled from his corner of the courtroom. “Right after getting it.”

“Pfft, that idiot Angel Dog wouldn’t let me keep the book!” Devil Dog stuck out her tongue in disgust at the mention of her alter ego. “No friggin’ clue what she did with it, but I know it’s not in our room anymore. I turned it inside out looking for it!”

“Catherine, I have seen your book in your office,” Cactus Girl narrowed her eyes at the nurse. “You cannot deny it.”

“Don’t point your finger at me! You still keep yours in your room, sweetie!” Catherine reiterated. “I saw it with my own eyes when I came over to discuss…” Catherine paused to shoot Steve a quick, lecherous look. “…you know what.”

“Big brother, I know you did not do this, but I have seen the book in your room as well,” Cactus Girl arched her brows. “Care to explain?”

“S-self defense! I keep it for self defense purposes only!” Cactus Gunman shuddered. “I would never use it to kill someone else! Only to incapacitate them!”

Clock Master grunted angrily. “What about _you,_ Steve and Gregory? What do you have to say for the locations of those heinous books?”

“I-it’s uh… it’s nowhere,” Gregory stuttered. He felt like this was a flashback to an interrogation from Gregory Mama!

“Gregory.” Clock Master stared at him seriously. “We have to know; for the sake of Roulette Boy and this trial!”

“My goodness! Alright, alright… It’s in my room. I can’t help it if I’m curious… Mama’s weaknesses were particularly interesting,” Gregory chuckled like a weight was off his chest. He shifted his gaze to Steve.

“Um…” Steve fumbled around with his fingers for a few heartbeats. “Okay, I-I also kept mine. I just wanted it out of anyone’s sight! So I hid it in my room. I hope I never have to see that thing again…”

“Psh, so many of you just got rid of my hard work!” Monoputa clutched at his heart. “And after I went through so much trouble to keep on updating them! I’m wounded!”

“This doesn’t really narrow things down…” Sarah sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose in exasperation. “And what if someone stole someone else’s book?”

“I would have noticed if mine was gone,” Catherine flicked her tongue out. Everyone else who owned the books affirmed the same thing. That made Sarah raise her eyebrows; no one was lying about their book to pin it on someone else?

_Things are already complicated enough…_

“We might be… on the wrong track,” Hell’s Chef muttered.

“Then allow _me_ to change to something more suitable. Cactus Gunman!” Clock Master puffed out his chest like an overconfident rooster, staring down Gunman in the most intimidating way he possibly could. “How do we know that you losing your guns wasn’t an act? You have the most apparent motive for going after Roulette Boy. Him constantly threatening you and making rude remarks… they were all the empty threats of a child!”

“Unless…” Gregory’s eyes widened. “Roulette Boy was in Cactus Gunman’s nightmares…”

The entire courtroom seemed to shudder as everything went quiet. The mere mention of the nightmares made Sarah’s knees shake. Every single night, she had horrifying dreams involving her housemates, usually Cactus Girl or Cactus Gunman. They became more and more horrible, her final few nightmares being downright unspeakable. Just thinking about them made Sarah feel like she swallowed a mouthful of cotton.

“I’m lucky I’m old and I’ve seen it all… there was nothing in those nightmares that wasn’t already done to me by my mother…” Gregory chuckled darkly. “And Cactus Gunman’s alibi still doesn’t hold up. Him leaving early, right in the dead of night, so close to the time Roulette Boy died… and he is a gunman, after all. Does anyone else here know how to shoot a gun? I do, but it’s been a long time… not to mention you all know where _I_ was at the time of the murder.”

“I don’t,” Clock Master shook his head. “If you put a gun in my hand, I wouldn’t know what to do with it.”

“I-I-I never even saw a gun in person before I came here!” Steve shook like a leaf. “I wouldn’t b-b-be able to shoot one, and even if I wasn’t shooting to kill… they’re too loud…”

“Guns are so messy,” Catherine gently stroked the bloodstains on the front of her uniform. “There are much more… elegant ways of drawing blood. It’s such a waste to see something so beautiful splatter the floor like that…!”

“Guns are a waste,” Hell’s Chef didn’t elaborate on that unnerving, stone cold statement.

“More fingers are pointing to you, Cactus Gunman…” Clock Master folded his arms and smirked. “What say you?”

“I… I…” Cactus Gunman spluttered, sweat pouring down his face.

Cactus Girl was quietly stewing in anger, but seeing her brother in distress finally pushed her over the edge.

_“NO ME CHINGUES!”_ Cactus Girl screeched at Clock Master. Clock Master staggered backwards, caught off guard by the small girl’s surprisingly harsh tone.

“I said it already and I’ll say it again, my brother is _not a good shot!”_ Cactus Girl slammed her fist on her podium. “You shouldn’t suspect him! There were no failed bullets anywhere at the crime scene, no burned walls, no missed shots! Ayiyiyi, he is not faking either, I have known him my whole life and he could not hit a target if he had his gun pressed against it!”

“Some gunman you are, heheheh!” Devil Dog giggled.

Cactus Gunman turned beet red and pulled his poncho up over his nose, averting his eyes from everyone.

“I’m a much better shot than he is, even though I prefer my lasso. In our wild days, I used to have to snatch the gun from my brother and hit the shots he kept missing…” Cactus Girl smiled a bit at that memory. _“Mierda!_ I swear, brother, you would be lost without me!”

“Oh seester, you…” Cactus Gunman wiped a tear from his eye, his poncho falling back to its proper place. “Thank you…”

“… Cactus Girl…” Sarah drummed her nails on her podium nervously. She had a gut feeling, and she didn’t like it. “You said… you snatched your brother’s guns a lot back when you were in reality?”  
“She did, and I can attest to that…” Cactus Gunman sighed a bit. “I’m sure all of my targets were hit by her in the end…”

“And you want to protect your brother, more than anything. I can tell that much,” Sarah made eye contact with Cactus Girl, whose lips were parted, but she saw no other hint of being fazed. “Is it possible that… you had nightmares about Roulette Boy hurting or killing your brother? And those instincts just kicked in?”

A low rumble started in Cactus Girl’s throat. “No! I had no such nightmares! And I would never steal from my brother; how dare you accuse me of such a thing?! Wouldn’t that make the blame go to him if the guns were found?!” Her face reddened. “You have no proof!”

“What are you _doing,_ senorita?!” Cactus Gunman hissed at Sarah, his eyes crazed with fear. “Please-!”

“Planting the needles would have made the blame go to Catherine,” Sarah observed, her voice smooth and cool like ice. “Putting the guns in the lost and found would make sense… anyone could have tossed them there. After seeing how Catherine behaved today, I can’t imagine she was the one who did it. She wouldn’t have been able to control herself with those needles, and she would have killed Roulette Boy with them, no matter how long it took…”

“No I wouldn’t have!” Catherine wiped a bit of drool from her chin. “Although draining someone’s blood like that would be… exhilarating… Roulette Boy was a mere child! I would never do something like that to someone so young! I wouldn’t even _think_ of hurting a child! What kind of depraved lizard do you take me for?!” Tapping her chin and briefly glancing at Steve, she said: “If it had been someone else… I wouldn’t have used a gun, that’s for sure.”

“You still have no proof that the guns were used by me; I was never seen with them.” Cactus Girl tossed a braid over her petite shoulder.

“She wasn’t, so Sarah, please stop this…” Cactus Gunman urged.

Sarah frowned. “I’m not so su-”

“I CAN’T TAKE THIS ANYMORE!” Steve blurted, tears streaming down his face. “I… I don’t want to die! I _can’t_ die! And I saw the guns… in Cactus Girl’s room! I’m sorry…” He added, his voice almost inaudible and his heart tearing from his chest, begging to run away.

_“What?!”_ Cactus Gunman jumped back, his face turning a paler green.

Cactus Girl went very quiet, bowing her head and shadowing her face beneath her sombrero.

“W-we both had nightmares, we barely got any sleep, so we spent a night together…” It was clear talking about this was paining Steve. Sarah could only imagine how conflicted he felt. “I-I saw the guns in her drawer, when she was changing into her pajamas…”

“YOU WATCHED MY SEESTER _CHANGE?!_ _PENDEJO, VETE A LA VERGA-”_ Cactus Gunman began spouting Spanish like an angry, boiling geyser.

“Not now!” Sarah chastised, Gunman shut his mouth, but Sarah could clearly see him shaking with rage. Pushing that out of her mind, she exhaled and focused. “Go on.”

“W-well, Roulette Boy died the next night, and the guns were in the lost and found… I just… I can’t ignore it! I’m so sorry, Cactus Girl! I’m sorry!” Tears were flowing freely down Steve’s face now.

Cactus Girl’s head shot up and she whipped to face Steve. “How do you know the guns were not stolen from me?” Cactus Girl’s rebuttal was quick, but she was grinding her teeth, clearly irritated at Steve’s accusation.

“B-because I _know you,_ Cactus Girl. I've… I’ve seen how upset you were whenever Roulette Boy would make fun of or… or threaten your brother. You… did you… take the guns so… Cactus Gunman wouldn’t try to murder anyone with them?” After he finished speaking, Steve shoved his thumbnail into his quivering mouth and began to chew on it.

“Hah…” Cactus Girl pulled the brim of her sombrero down over her face again.

“Hey, that’s right… you said you had to protect him back when you were in reality…” Catherine folded her arms. “You love your brother, that much is clear… do you love him so much that you would get rid of a person who was a danger to him, even if it meant you would die in his place?”

“…” Cactus Girl wasn’t speaking.

“Roulette Boy wasn’t a danger to anyone!” Clock Master protested. “He was a _child!_ All of his threats were empty! They were jokes, pranks… he had no malice in his heart!”

“Actually, the fact that he was a kid might make him _more_ dangerous!” Devil Dog cackled. “Kids are stupid. They don’t realize that their actions have permanent consequences. Remember James? He went after Judgement Boy with a knife, so soon after we were given the first motive!”

Gregory paled but Devil Dog kept going.

“Hey, Cactus Girl, I know all the nightmares we’ve had play on our deepest, darkest fears…” Devil Dog leaned forward, a huge smirk on her face. “Losing your brother… that’s the worst thing that could happen to you, right? Ha! Well, if you don’t fess up, you’ll lose him forever. Actually… you’ll lose him either way! You can’t be with him if you’re _dead!”_

“Hah…” Cactus Girl said again, her head still down as she bunched up her skirt in her fists.

“Seester, please say something!” Cactus Gunman begged, his voice choked.

Cactus Girl’s head snapped up and she pulled up the brim of her hat, revealing her face to the court. Her expression was indescribably terrifying; her eyes had glazed over and she seemed completely nonchalant, despite her accusations. Daintily folding her hands at her waist, she gazed into the distance, a faraway look in her eyes. Sarah couldn’t believe she didn’t notice it before, but Cactus Girl’s eyes were ringed in dark circles. _Are they there because…?_

“I hated him,” Cactus Girl’s delicate, cruel statement pierced the silence of the courtroom.

“…hmm?” Hell’s Chef’s eyes widened a bit.

“Hated him hated him hated him hated him hated him hated him hated him hated him hated him hated him HATED HIM HATED HIM HATED HIM HATED HIM HATED HIM HATED HIM!”

As Cactus Girl chanted those words, she got increasingly angrier. By the time she spat out the last two, she was tugging on her braids so hard Sarah feared she would rip them out.

“Roulette Boy… was the WORST kind of scum!” Cactus Girl shrieked. “People like that… people so heartless know no age! Everything he said felt like… like a claw in my brain! Saying such insulting things to my brother… every time I saw Roulette Boy, I just wanted to make him shut up for good!”

“You're… you’re _horrible…”_ Clock Master was too terrified to elaborate on his insult. His usually pinkened face had gone completely stark white.

“I am… used to it, you know.” The faraway look was back in Cactus Girl’s eyes. “Back in reality, I solved all of my problems with violence. Choking with a lasso, a shot through the head… anyone that so much _looked_ at my brother wrong would be taken care of by me.” Cactus Girl leaned forward, her face shadowed. “It is hard to let go of old habits. I tolerated that little Roulette Boy bastard for far too long.”

“Seester… are you… you're…” Cactus Gunman spluttered, his red-rimmed eyes threatening tears.

“You're… _confessing?”_ Steve squeaked. “I… I’m sorry! I’m sorry!”

“It’s not your fault…” The corners of Catherine’s mouth twitched.

“Cactus Girl… you’re the only one who could have done this. The guns in your room… your motive… it all adds up…” It absolutely pained Sarah to say it, but there was no other way. “But… why? Why would you risk your brother’s life? Why would you risk… all of our lives? I thought we were friends…”

“Fear… is part of nature, is it not?” Cactus Girl wasn’t making eye contact with anyone, instead choosing to stare at the wall. “I have stared death in the face many times, yet I still fear it… but… I want to protect my brother, more than anything. He was all I had… before I came here. I remember that much.” Cactus Girl sniffled a bit, but quickly bounced back to her terrifyingly neutral, glazed expression. “My dreams… were so real. Roulette Boy murdering my brother in front of me… and mocking me for failing to protect him. Saying that his stupidity and incompetence rubbed off on me… _mierda,_ I woke up in tears every time. The dreams got more and more real. I could smell the blood. I could feel the sweat trickling down my face. Roulette Boy stabbed me in the leg in one dream… and I woke up with an intense pain in the same spot. These were no ordinary dreams. That… was a premonition, I know it was. It was too real… I had to stop it… for the sake of my brother, even if it meant… I would die in his place…”

“Uh, it totally _wasn’t_ a premonition!” Monoputa raised his hand. “I just know how to make ‘em feel really real!”

“… w… h… a… t…?” Cactus Girl slowly turned to face Monoputa, her mouth hanging open in disbelief. “B…ut…!”

“Yep! It was all in your head, sister!” Monoputa winked with the most satisfied smile Sarah had ever seen. “The boss and I have a talent for this stuff. Everything, all of it, was a lie to get you kiddies to kill, kill, KILL! Ahahahahahaha!”

“That… Th…at… can't…” She fumbled.

“Oh yes it can~!” The prompter stood up and twirled on his chair. “And it looks like _someone_ here totally FELL FOR IT!”

“I… I…” Cactus Girl lowered her head. “Hehe… hehehe… heheheheheHAHAHAHAHA!”

She leant back tremendously, her hands on her chest, tear droplets peaking out at the corner of her eyes as she laughed out the last ounce of her happiness and fell into a delirium. Then, she smiled a full blown smile that looked like it had been incorrectly plastered on her face. Her eyes bulging and voice giddy, she stared at Cactus Gunman. “Are you happy, brother?! Have I made you proud?! I did this all for YOU… To keep you SAFE! I wanted us to be _happy_ together, like I know we were before! Before this hell hole! Before that _brat!_ I wanted you to be safe over me! And I put _everything_ I forged here in the dumpster to make that happen! Even _Steve!_ And I did it for YOU!”

She tilted her head back to laugh. “And now… Hahahaha! Can you believe it? It was all for _nothing!_ I was such a _fool…!_ Oh, my naive stupidity… You always said I was embarrassing, brother, and you are right. I’ll never be with the ones I love… Such a fool fool fool fool FOOL! Hehehehehe! I am a fool who _deserves_ to die! Monoputa! Start the vote!”

“Cactus Girl… No…” Steve sobbed. He shakily reached out and grasped her arm. “I still… need you…!”

Cactus Girl’s eyes were transfixed at Steve’s hand and slowly, they travelled up his arm until she finally met his gaze. His helpless gaze. His helpless gaze begging her, pleading with her…

…And she swooped toward him, grabbing at his shirt and pulling him into a passionate kiss.

On Cactus Girl’s other side, Devil Dog pointed inside her mouth and made fake vomiting noises while Hell’s Chef rolled his eyes and pointedly turned his back to Steve. Sarah’s heart leapt as Gunman broke out of his stunned trance and dashed out from behind Devil Dog to his sister. He wrenched her out of her loving embrace and pulled her into a tight hug. Steve, covered in scratches, clenched his fists.

“Brother…” Cactus Girl wrapped her arms around Gunman and buried her face into his poncho.

“Seester, I… I knew it was you from the start. Your handwriting… if you told me about this… if you told me about your worries-” Cactus Gunman’s voice was heavy and choked.

Cactus Girl laughed in spite of everything. “You know I am not one to share my troubles. I made a stupid mistake, and I… I will pay the price… but brother… please, promise me two things.”

Cactus Gunman released his sister from his embrace, resting his hands on her shoulders. “Anything.”

“Please… get out of here alive. I… I did this to protect you. I don’t want to die in vain… if… if I do, I’ll beat you up when you join me in Hell!” Cactus Girl’s eyes were filling up with fat tears.

Cactus Gunman followed suit, tears rolling down his face. He couldn’t believe this was happening; his sister, his only memory of his life outside of this cursed place, his anchor, his only family… she was going to die. It still hadn’t fully registered yet… still, his heart felt like it had dropped into his stomach. “I promise…”

Sarah couldn’t help crying as well. Her vision completely blurred and she buried her face in her hands. She felt someone pat her on the back, followed by Catherine’s voice murmuring “There, there…”

“And… and, don’t remember Cactus Girl. Don’t remember the one who lost her mind, the one who fell victim to nightmares she thought would happen…” Cactus Girl looked up at her brother and smiled a genuine, tearful smile. “Remember Evita Arias, your beloved little seester, who would do anything to protect you.”

“Th-that's…” Cactus Gunman sobbed so loudly the floor shook and he pulled his sister back into a giant hug.

“That’s ENOUGH, that’s what that is!” Monoputa banged his gavel. “We’re voting _this instant!_ I’m sick of all this sappy bullcrap! Beer Master, return those stupid guns to 'brother’ over here.” Monoputa put on his best Cactus Girl impression at that word, sneering, while Clock Master obeyed. “It’ll be a nice memory of your idiot sister’s mistake!”

“H-how dare you…!” Cactus Gunman’s fists clenched. His expression faltered as Clock Master tapped his shoulder with one of the guns, which he snatched back.

“Brother, it’s okay…” Cactus Girl warned. “Don’t do anything stupid…”

“We all know who the murderer is, so let’s get this rolling!” Monoputa rubbed his hands together. “Please pull the lever in front of you and vote for who you _know_ is the culprit!”

After an unanimous vote, the usual slot machine video was displayed on the enormous monitor, this time stopping on Cactus Girl’s face. As the victorious music and applause played, Cactus Girl stepped back from her podium, bowed her head, and put her hands in the air.

“I am ready,” she said quietly, closing her eyes.

“No…” Steve reached a shaky hand towards Cactus Girl. “No, no, NOOOOOO!”

“Let this be a lesson to you, Stevie-boy,” Monoputa twirled his gavel as the big red button on its silver pedestal popped out in front of him. “In my world, there are _no_ happily ever afters.”

_SLAM!_

_ _

_**CACTUS GIRL HAS BEEN FOUND GUILTY. COMMENCING EXECUTION.** _

_**OFFING THE OUTLAW** _

In an instant, a long rope with a wide noose at the end flung out from a new opening in the rainbow wall. It fell down past Cactus Girl’s sombrero, over her head and sat on her shoulders. Cactus Girl opened her mouth to comment when it tightened exponentially to fit around her neck. With a splutter, she was yanked back, into the rainbow striped passage and vanished out of sight.

“Move it, you bastards! Go, go, go~!” Monoputa shrieked joyously as he held an air guitar, performing cyclic strums with each 'go’.

Gregory lazily glanced down the passage. “Come again?”

“Urgh, FOLLOW THAT CACTUS!” He boomed in reply.

Cactus Girl herself grasped at the noose, tearing it away from her neck in the hopes of catching fleeting breaths. She barely noticed as the decoration change from rainbows to depictions of isolated sandy deserts.

The tunnel soon broke open into a vast, western ghost town that seemed eerily familiar. The sun beat down harshly and the buildings were run down and ruined. With a _SMACK,_ Cactus Girl’s back bashed into a hard wooden object that made her ache. She slid up the unknown object, or objects, until she hovered just above them, then was dropped lightly to her feet. She was standing on boxes.

Something that felt like disappointment welled inside her. Her head moved to the source of a nearby chuckle. There, Monoputa sat on a railing some ways above her with a knife in one hand and the cut end of her rope in the other. The rest trailed off into the distance.

“Don’t get too comfortable, sister,” Monoputa smirked as he tossed the knife into the sand. It’s blade speared the sand and vibrated with the force. Monoputa tied her rope to the railing.

She smiled and closed her eyes. This was the death she deserved.

“Seester!”

“Cactus Girl!”

Her brother, Steve and all the others were running up to her, shouting her name. Monoputa finished her knot and warned them they would join her in death if they neared. In a confining semicircle, they spread, enclosing Cactus Girl in a ring of death.

“Wanna hear my Spanish, Cactus Girl?” Monoputa asked, jumping down in front of her and lying on his back. “Hasta la vista!”

His tiny, powerful legs kicked at the boxes beneath her and time seemed to slow down. She plummeted, and so did her regrets in huge downpours of tears. The noose tightened; choking, binding, crushing. She wrenched at it, trying to pry it from her constricted neck which began to get wetter and wetter from her crying. Everything began to fade and blur, and she heard a noise at the end of her dying world.

“What are you waiting for?!” Steve shoved Cactus Gunman’s shoulder. “Shoot the rope! Now!”

The man gasped and fumbled at his holsters, sweat beading on his forehead. He brought his right gun out, cocked it, and aimed the best he could.

Monoputa, who returned to reclining on the railing, jumped up in shock and dove off at lightning speed, somersaulting at he made contact with the ground. He sprinted with all the power he could muster and flung himself at Gunman’s arm. It dragged down right as he pulled the trigger and the bullet went off course…

…sinking through the soft flesh of Cactus Girl’s forehead.

Her struggling ended, her face frozen in a look of shock. All life drained from her eyes, her cheek still slick with tears as her body swung from the rope, blood pouring out of the bullet wound and down her face. Her fingers were locked between her neck and the rope, in a permanent struggle for a lost freedom.

A heavy silence fell, and Monoputa’s knife toppled to its side.

“Well even _I_ didn’t see that one coming! Ahahahahahaha!” Monoputa’s aggravating, piercing laugh echoed and continued on for an eternity.

“Se-seester?” Gunman quavered softly.

“You…” Sarah peered at Steve through her tear-blurred vision. His voice with thick with emotion. “You… YOU BASTARD!”

He reeled back and swung his fist forcefully, powerfully connecting it with Gunman’s face. The remaining cactus was flung to the ground, kicking up a plume of dust and when it settled, he was cradling his left cheek with nothing but horror on his face. Sarah wasn’t sure whether it was horror at the loss of his sister or at Steve’s aggressive actions. She settled for somewhere in between.

“I… I told you to _save_ her!” Steve was shaking with emotion. It was clear to any onlooker he was in immense pain. “We were _all_ counting on you, Gunman! You were the only one who could! For both of us! For _her!”_

Gunman blinked angrily. “But Monoputa-”

“Why couldn’t you have been a better shot?! If you were actually _good_ at what you did, you could have shot in time and you could have hit the rope! She could have still been here…! Right…now…!” Steve faltered, too overcome to continue and weakly trying to choke back sobs. He resorted to one last angry kick in the dust, splaying sand onto his enemy.

Gunman wanted to defend himself; somehow justify his own weakness to lessen the pain. In the end, there was nothing. His sister’s death was really on him.

Sarah couldn’t think of anything to say. What _could_ she say? No words could hinder the twisting in her heart as Steve trudged up to Cactus Girl’s corpse, blubbering apologies. In a last attempt for comfort, her feet lead her to Gunman and sat her down beside him she looked at him, their tear streaked faces a perfect match.

“Sarah…” Gunman murmured, his voice lost.

She pulled him in tight, resting her head in the brim of his sombrero, allowing a few more tears to fall. “I’m here.”

“My my this is sad,” Gregory casually surveyed his companions. “Can’t say I haven’t seen worse, of course,” he chuckled.

Next to him, Clock Master had folded his arms with something like satisfaction or a sense of things having fallen into place. He stared at Steve using Monoputa’s knife to cut down Cactus Girl’s corpse. He felt Sarah’s eyes and when he turned to her, his gaze softened into pity and sorrow, then hardened when he heard a fresh laugh. Devil Dog was snickering away, muttering to herself about “entertainment”. Hell’s Chef glared at her, but his death stare was interrupted by a sobbing Catherine asking him how he was coping.

Monoputa began to wheeze out of his laughter and straightened up with a happy smile.

“Ah, wasn’t that lovely~? Whoa, whoa, HEY!” Monoputa jumped to his feet and charged to Steve who was cradling Cactus Girl’s body. “Put the body down, kid! Those things are for me and Death to deal with!”

“The… body…?” Steve slowly turned his head to Monoputa, his face full of rage. “This isn’t just a BODY-”

“IT IS NOW! She’s dead, Snow White! D-E-A-D, dead! So her body goes with the rest of the DEAD folks!” Monoputa deeply exhaled and raised his voice. “Now the rest you who are still alive better head to the elevator until another one of you kicks it. That’ll be fuuuun~! Until the next thrill!”

Monoputa nodded as everyone departed back through that wretched tunnel that lead Cactus Girl to her doom, and was now their path of escape. Sarah helped Gunman to his feet and he stared blankly at his sister while she lead him out. There, Catherine offered her hand to sobbing Steve, who took it and leaned on her for support.

“It… it was me… wasn’t it, Sarah?” Gunman whispered faintly. “I… I did it.”

She blinked sadly then resolutely shook her head. “No. Monoputa did it. If he hadn’t moved your arm, you would have saved her.”

“If… If I was better…” Gunman hiccuped. They entered the passage.

“You did the best you could,” was all Sarah could say. “And… who knows what Monoputa would have done if you shot her down…”

“I would rather… have died in her place…” was the last thing Gunman said before falling silent.

Gunman bowed his head as he trudged on, tears rolling down his face.

He still wouldn’t say a word, but he held Sarah close for the whole elevator trip.

_**8 PEOPLE STILL ALIVE** _


	26. It Wasn't a Dream

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Hey, guys! Got a shiny new chapter for you! :D_   
>  _Got LOTS of awesome art this time! It’s by Lizzie, Mika, Miz, and Blaze~ They all did AMAZING, so remember to send some love their way~_   
>  _Ven and I had lots of fun writing this chapter and we hope you guys love reading it! It’s a long one, so buckle up!  
>  Enjoy!_

_It wasn’t a dream._

Sarah wrapped herself in her blanket tightly in a fruitless attempt to give herself some security. Right after the trial, the survivors made their way to their rooms and fell asleep, exhausted both physically and emotionally.

The trek back to the guest rooms had been hellish. Steve had sobbed ceaselessly, so hard that he ended up falling and had to be carried back to his room by a tearful Catherine. Cactus Gunman was still in a state of shock, struck silent, occasionally letting out a choked sob and letting a tear fall down his prickly cheek. Clock Master had tried to look sympathetic towards Steve and Cactus Gunman, but Sarah could tell he was faking. She knew he was happy that the murderer of his surrogate son had been caught, and he would live to keep on fighting to see his own son back in reality. Still, Sarah was sickened by the idea that Clock Master had no sympathy for the loss of Gunman’s beloved sister.

Once Devil Dog shifted back into Angel Dog, she had kept her arm wrapped around Gunman’s shoulder, whispering words of TLC to him. Sarah could tell they fell on deaf ears, though; Gunman was acting like Angel Dog didn’t even exist.

Gregory had been completely quiet, wearing a poker face as he strolled to his room. He had already lost everything. He seemed used to the hotel and all of its atrocities, his heart cold and hardened from his psychological and physical losses.

Hell’s Chef was his usual stoic self, of course, walking briskly ahead of everyone like no one had even died. Once Angel Dog had given up on trying to cheer up Gunman, she approached Chef tearfully and poured her worries out all over him. Chef had eventually stopped in the hallway to converse with Angel Dog, and Sarah noticed that his eyes were closed in exasperation.

_He was listening, though._ Moments like that made Sarah believe that Chef wasn’t the murderous, soulless monster that she used to see him as.

Sarah was too sad to delight in Chef’s progress, however. As soon as she went back to her room, she had thrown herself onto her bed, crying into her pillow. They had lost Cactus Girl, an adorable, strong girl who was full of love, for Cactus Gunman, for Steve, for all her friends. She was brave, she was intelligent, she was protective… all of which caused her downfall.

Sarah couldn’t get Cactus Girl’s final expression out of her mind. Her fingers locked in the noose, her face… a look of fear, betrayal, and sadness, streaked with tears.

_Had she seen the bullet flying at her? Did she see who shot it? What… what were her final thoughts?_

Sarah’s thoughts made her sadder and sadder, and she sobbed into her pillow until her throat was sore.

_How many times have I cried like this? Will this be the last time? Anyone can be a murderer… anyone…_

_It’s not their fault._

_It’s Monoputa’s._

Monoputa’s hysterical laughter at Cactus Girl’s death hammered into Sarah’s brain as she remembered it. What did he have planned next…?

Horrifying scenarios played through Sarah’s head. Despite that, she fell into a dreamless sleep. It didn’t improve her mood upon awakening and with her mouth torn down to a broken smile, she sighed. She knew laying around all day and crying wouldn’t help anyone… she resolved to check on her friends.

_Grooooowl…_

After she had something to eat.

Sarah barely had an appetite, but she knew better than to let herself go hungry. She’d probably be even sadder on an empty stomach…

She threw on some clean clothes and smoothed down that rebellious lock of hair before tying it up and heading to the kitchen.

She felt like taking the scenic route: wandering through the halls and garden rather than just the lobby. It would help her gauge how many of her housemates were active and out of the gloom and despair of… recent events. Or at least, feeling well enough to leave their rooms.

The hole left in her heart felt like it dropped a few feet. By the time she reached the metal door of the garden, she hadn’t seen a single soul. Her friends really did need help… Or at the very minimum, Steve and Gunman did, and they were the two closest to her. Without them she felt… rather alone. The only person probably _not_ sobbing in their room was Clock Master, whose absence could be explained with a quick visit to the bar.

With a sigh she entered the garden and shuffled on. The roses were beginning to wilt, but the herbs were in remarkably good shape. Perhaps she could convince Steve and Gunman to garden with her later, if it didn’t bring back too many memories of Neko Zombie’s trial.

Her mind still in a tangented haze, Sarah distractedly pushed open the kitchen door without noticing one of her legs was yet to turn the corner. It slammed into the heel of her front foot, and without proper balance, she fell into a colossal heap in the kitchen doorway and made a loud _smack_. Her body weight pushed the door forward so fast it hit the wall and rattled with unused energy. A loud, gruff exclamation of surprise caught Sarah’s ears which sharply increased in intensity before subsiding.

“Chef?” Sarah wondered aloud. She shook her head to clear it and buy herself some time for the burning red in her cheeks to die down. _That was seriously embarrassing… And painful too…_

She instructed her throbbing limbs to pull her to her feet and there she saw Hell’s Chef, immobile over his chopping board with his eyes squeezed tight and hissing out a long slow breath. In one hand he held his favourite cleaver and his other…

…was missing a finger?!

As she spotted the detached phalanx on the other side of the cleaver to his damaged hand, a surprise shriek emerged from her mouth, high pitched and afraid.

“H-Hell’s Chef!” Sarah pointed a shaky finger at him. “Y-your hand!”

His hissing drew to a stop and he peeped open his eyes some more. “I KNOW! … It’s nothing. This happens.”

He picked up his finger and cradled his hand like a protective parent over their firstborn and toddled around his bench, towards Sarah. She gasped as he carelessly tossed the finger in the trash.

“It… it happens? But doesn’t it hurt? And what about the finger you just threw away?” Sarah was honestly starting to question the anatomy of the candle more than ever before. In hindsight, she should have questioned how he functioned from the start.

“I don’t need it… It’s expendable.” Hell’s Chef muttered.

He stopped and slid open the drawer near where he stood. Inside, Sarah could see, were many long, thin candles piled lengthwise in neat rows. The chef plucked one out with surprising delicacy and took it to the stove. He scooped up a single oven mitt and with a swift movement, the stove’s fire ignited and the small candle’s wax began to shine. Sarah watched with awe as Hell’s Chef stuck the candle to the stubby remainder of his finger and fashioned it into a replacement.

“It is good to use fresh wax,” he murmured. “Fresher and stronger. When I first cut… IT HURTS LIKE HELL!” His eyes flashed. “It goes away after a while, like losing a hair… The kitchen is dangerous. So is my knife. Here, it happens often…”

He paused as he finished moulding his new finger, extracting the wick and dousing its fire with his mitten grasp. Tossing it away, he clenched his fist.

“I adapt.” He said gruffly.

Sarah couldn’t believe such a thing was normal. _No wonder he’s so hardened._ “Does it… hurt anymore?”

He pulled off his mitt and cast her a sidelong glance, then shook his head. “It feels like… healing. Getting better.”

Sarah smirked despite it all. He really was like a toddler; his vocabulary was the size of a pea.

Chef seemed to notice her expression and drew himself taller. “Why… are you in MY KITCHEN?!”

She drew back a step and put up her arms defensively. “Hey, calm down, I was just hungry! And I… was hoping a bite to eat might cheer me up a bit.” She admitted.

“Mmm…” He considered this. “It is lunch time…”

“Lunch time?!” Sarah echoed in astonishment. “The investigation and the… the trial felt like it went forever…”

“It was only a few hours. I’ll make you something,” Hell’s Chef plodded over to the fridge and gathered ingredients.

Sarah smiled. She couldn’t help but be touched by his consistent culinary care of the group, despite the tragedies that occurred. At least he made an attempt to console people more deeply affected than he was by murders and executions. Though she was curious…

“Hell’s Chef… Do the deaths in this place affect you?” She asked.

He grunted, not missing a beat in his rhythmic sandwich making. “Feh, less mouths to feed. But also… less people to enjoy my cooking.”

Sarah detected the slightest shred of sadness in the last bit of Chef’s sentence, but she might have been imagining it in hopes of seeing more humanity in him.

But even if it was just her imagination, she was glad it was there. She wanted to believe in Chef. She could tell he was much more than a hot-tempered cook who would slice you to ribbons at the drop of a hat. Chef built up walls around himself for whatever reason, but Sarah knew that his walls had cracked since coming here. The fact that he wasn’t kicking her out of his kitchen was progress, and Sarah hoped that one day Chef would trust her, even if it was only a little bit.

“Take it.” Chef’s sharp tone derailed her train of thought. He was holding out two neat sandwiches, one resting on the other.

“O-oh, thanks Chef!” Sarah hastily obeyed. “You’re a good guy.”

As those final words escaped her mouth, the door from the garden swung open behind her.

“A _good guy?”_ came a new voice.

Astonished, Sarah did a one hundred and eighty degree turn, nearly dropping her sandwiches. The entrant sure matched the voice, but his rage was so foreign…

“Him? Sarah, what are you thinking?” Steve almost looked insulted, his face warped into a new expression of disgust. “There’s nothing good about him. He’s _heartless.”_

Sarah had never seen Steve’s eyes flashing with so much hate. She felt her stomach twist and she looked at Chef with concern. Surprisingly, his expression had barely changed. Apparently, attacks on his character weren’t as devastating as attacks on his cooking.

“What made you decide to stroll into _my_ kitchen and insult me?” Hell’s Chef’s voice was simmering with irritation. He unsheathed his knife again and stroked the dull side of the blade. “You’ll leave if you know what’s good for you.”

Steve scoffed. “Ugh, I can’t _believe_ you, Sarah.” After shaking his head, Steve turned on his heel and sulked out of the room, his balled-up fists in his side pockets.

“I… should go after him.” Sarah started after Steve, but was stopped when Chef placed one of his enormous hands on her shoulder.

“Eat first,” Chef commanded. Sarah couldn’t refuse that. Despite Steve’s weird behavior gripping her brain like a claw, Sarah ate what Chef made her, slowly and thoughtfully.

“How is it…?” Chef asked, watching Sarah intently as she chewed. _God, when he watches me like this, I feel like I’m stark naked,_ An embarrassed blush crept across Sarah’s face.

Sarah swallowed her mouthful of sandwich and smiled at Chef. “It’s really, really good, as always. I needed some comfort food after what happened last night…”

“I know it’s good,” Chef tugged on his tie, tilting his chin up proudly.

“Thanks a lot for making this,” Sarah grinned at Chef before finishing up her food.

Chef seemed a bit taken aback for a moment, looking at Sarah with his glowing eyes huge. “… hmph…” he said after a pause, pulling his collar up and turning his head away. “It’s my job.”

Sarah brushed a few bread crumbs off the front of her shirt. “I better go see what’s bothering Steve… he’s probably in his room.”

Sarah headed to the door before Chef held up a hand and shouted “WAIT!”

Sarah sighed a bit before looking over her shoulder at Chef. “What is it?”

“I… don’t have feelings like Steve's… I know I never will, but…” Hell’s Chef was struggling to find the right words, refusing to make eye contact with Sarah. “… he was… in love with Cactus Girl, wasn’t he?”

Sarah nodded.

Chef gripped onto the handle of his knife, but showed no sign of drawing it. “He might be… mad or sad because of what happened. He might do things he wouldn’t normally do.” Chef looked down for a few moments and Sarah started to turn the doorknob. Chef’s head snapped back up and he yelled “BE CAREFUL!”

Sarah was taken aback, nearly falling over by the sheer force of Chef’s voice. _Is he worried about me?_ “Don’t worry, Chef, I’ll be alright.” Resting a hand on her heart, Sarah gave Chef a warm smile. “Just like cooking is your job, it’s my job to make sure everyone here is fine.”

“You…” Hell’s Chef made eye contact with Sarah and her heart swelled. Was that genuine emotion she saw in his gaze? Did he actually trust her? Did he actually consider her a friend? “… aren’t very good at your job.”

Sarah narrowed her eyes at Chef and exited the kitchen, slamming the door behind her.

 

_GHS_

 

Sarah gazed at the little cubic drawing of Steve that labelled his room. Much like the Steve she knew, the tiny Steve on the door was wringing his hands and averting his eyes, giving off an air of shyness.

_Maybe he calmed down…_ Sarah thought as she raised her hand and knocked firmly on the door.

Sarah heard an angry sigh from the room and Steve’s voice called out: “Who is it?”

Something about his tone made Sarah slightly reluctant to pursue him, but she refused to back down. This wasn’t him; this wasn’t the Steve she and the other guests had come to know and love. He was hurt beyond words and no matter what Chef said, she would reach out to Steve a million times if it helped him heal.

“It-it’s Sarah,” she replied, her hidden worry briefly surfacing. “Can I talk to you?”

She heard a mumble and some footsteps before the door opened to reveal the new, cold Steve. “Are you done talking with monsters now?”

“Chef _isn’t_ a-” Before Sarah could get the sentence out, Steve made a move to slam the door in her face. “Wait!”

Sarah’s jaw was set firm as she shoved her foot in the doorway and angled her body in a way that it’s full weight would be against the closing door. As it rammed into her shoulder, she pushed back with all her might, locked in an intense, evenly matched battle.

“Steve, come on! Just… hear me out!” Her voice was strained and the door dangerously closed in on her foot. “I just want to make sure you’re okay! Please! T-talk to me!”

The war stopped and Sarah nearly toppled over, saving herself in the nick of time. By the time she regained her balance, Steve had swung the door open to its previous state, but his face was low and shadowed.

“You’re still the same, Sarah. You’ve saved us so many times… I know you’re trying to do the right thing.” Steve sighed and looked at her with tired eyes. His voice hardened. “But spending time with people who pose such a threat is where I draw the line. You know what kind of things they can cause! You saw Gunman and Roulette Boy! _Look where that got us!”_

He paused, as if overcome, placing his face in his hand. As he dragged it down, Sarah felt the need to touch him: to take his hand, to place hers on his shoulder, anything to provide him with even the slightest hint of comfort. She held back. She didn’t know what to expect from him anymore.

“As for if I’m okay, I don’t know if I will be with threats like him and Devil Dog and Clock Master and that creepy Gregory still around. Even Gunman with his haywire bullets! And everyone is acting like the incident with Catherine never even happened. As much as you want to believe it, no one is safe, Sarah. We’re going to get hurt.” Steve’s voice was choked with the slightest hint of sadness.

It was then Sarah noticed that Steve’s room was in total disarray, his bed a wrinkly mess and an impossible amount of wadded-up tissues all over the place. _He really is sad…_

“I lost Neko Zombie. I lost Cactus Girl… everyone I became close to died…” Steve moved to his bed and sat on the edge of it, burying his face in his hands. “I don’t know what I’d do… if I lost you too. You’re too trusting, Sarah. I’m worried that… it might be your downfall…”

Sarah moved to sit next to Steve and gently placed a reassuring hand on his back. “I’m not going anywhere…”

“You can’t promise me that,” Steve’s voice was thick with unshed tears. He came up from his hands only to pointedly look away from Sarah. “You’re keeping dangerous company. Optimism gets you nowhere here. Remember Judgement Boy? Remember what happened to him?”

Sarah’s eyes widened as she recalled her old friend. Even if he had been dead for so long, she could still remember his smile, his laugh, how it felt when he picked her up to hug her… Judgement Boy had been kind outside of those judgements of his, getting along with everyone. Sarah wondered what could have become of them if Judgement Boy had lived…

Steve noticed that Sarah was blinking back tears and he huffed a sigh. “See, Sarah? Not even the most pure soul is safe here. I… I tried to have faith in everyone. It’s gone now. Every time I look at Chef, I just think of who he’s going to chop up. Every time I look at Gregory, I think he’s crafting a way to kill someone. Every time I look at Clock Master, I see a vengeful man who has nothing left to lose. And Gunman… is a disaster waiting to happen.” Steve spat Gunman’s name. “Killing his sister…”

“That was an accide-” Sarah began.

“HE STILL KILLED HER!” Steve yelled. Sarah nearly fell off the bed in surprise, scooching away from Steve as fast as she could. Choking, Steve scrubbed at his eyes. “I’ll never, ever forgive him…”

“In a place like this, you can’t afford to hold grudges,” Sarah fixed her gaze on Steve. “I… I don’t care what you say, I want to believe in everyone. Even people like Chef and Gunman. Gunman wasn’t responsible for Cactus Girl’s death, Steve. Monoputa was.”

A shadow fell over Steve’s face as he looked away from Sarah. Sarah felt her stomach knot in worry. “Steve…”

“Be careful…” Steve said so quietly Sarah could barely understand him. “Sarah… don’t die. Without you… we’d all…”

“I’ll be fine,” Sarah reached over and squeezed Steve’s hand and he quickly pulled it away.

_He doesn’t believe me,_ The knot in Sarah’s stomach quadrupled in size.

“I need to sleep,” With that curt statement, Steve shimmied under his covers and pulled the blanket up over his head. Sarah took that as him telling her to get out and she sighed, heading for the door.

She’d have to keep an eye on Steve. She’d stop at nothing until she got through to him…

 

_GHS_

 

“T'was the morn’ of a surprise, and all through the house, not a guest was stirring; not even Gregory mouse…” The giggling voice crept into Sarah’s dreamscape, lifting her out the way a hero would carry an unconscious innocent. “Looks like we’ll have to change that…”

Sarah wafted there, in those soothing arms. She felt like she was drifting off to safety… The hero dropped her.

“OKAY, UP AND AT ‘EM, YOU BASTARDS, RISE AND SHINE!” Sarah jolted in bed, her sheets flying in her sporadic display of limbs. She had enough wits about her to realise this was not some godsent savior whisking her away, this was Monoputa on the loudspeaker, luring them to danger.

She let out a frustrated growl at this neverending entrapment as she got up to do her hair. Monoputa continued, to her displeasure. “I saw you lot were in _intense_ despair yesterday, and being the _generous_ host I am, I gave you a day of rest to come to terms with your emotions… Okay, maaaybe the boss was just enjoying the show~. Ahahahaha!”

Sarah wrinkled her nose. She knew they had some cruel surprise for her and the others. It put a fire in her belly, driving her to keep finding ways to escape and show up whatever sick sadist was doing this.

“Now if all of you little hope-gremlins could make your way to the lost and found as soon as possible, that would be super~” Monoputa sang, obnoxiously overjoyed. “That means you too, Steve. You should channel your sadness into something more productive, like weights, rather than sitting on your tiny caboose alone in your room. Be big and beefy, hehehe.”

Sarah had had enough. She finished slipping on her fresh shirt and headed to Monoputa’s designated destination, pointedly blocking her ears.

Upon her arrival, she discovered she was not the first to arrive. In fact, only Steve was still absent. _Which figures,_ she reasoned to herself. _My room isn’t exactly the closest to either of the basement entrances._

Everyone was in their little groups: Gregory was chatting with Clock Master and Angel Dog was talking to Catherine, who eagerly tried to get a brooding Hell’s Chef’s input on their discussion. _Well, almost everyone,_ Sarah thought. She sidled in next to lone Gunman whose eyes looked somewhat hollow, though more vibrant than on the day of his sister’s death.

“Hey…Gunman. Have you been doing okay?” Sarah was compelled to ask. She didn’t like her lack of recent attention to him.

“I am… a little better…” He mumbled, not looking at her. “I will admit it hurts but… A tough hombre like me can cope.” He sniffed. “In the past… I know I was always escaping danger; of that, I am certain. But Evita… She and I always survived. Maybe we were hunted or helped people, I don’t know. We still survived like the tough siblings we were, and I can survive this. After all, if it was just me and her…” Gunman looked up at Sarah with a wry smile. “…I am sure I have done it before.”

She was stunned. She had never heard him talk like this. Usually his words were about talking himself up or insisting he wasn’t cowardly or fawning over his sister, maybe even Sarah herself. For once, he was finding _real_ strength within himself and not the fabrications of his combat prowess. Strength he needed to press on and face the future, and Sarah didn’t even need to help. No one did. A balloon of pride and happiness welled up in her; the first real happiness in days where tears even dared to prick at the corners of her eyes.

She enveloped Gunman in her arms and held him tight, not caring for the pain that began to spike on her skin. After a moment of pause and what sounded like some spluttering, she felt two skinny arms hug her back.

“S-Sarah…?” said a new voice.

Sarah parted with Gunman and looked to its source. Steve stood there blankly, his face soon contorting into a look of betrayal.

“You told me I could count on you, Sarah. You _know_ how I feel about him and what he’s done!” Steve’s voice rose progressively louder.

Sarah opened her mouth to reply, but before she could, Monoputa jumped down between them.

“Oh, were you having a moment? Well that’s gonna have to wait because I’ve got something in store~. And not everything revolves around your little dramas, Nancy Drew. What do you think this is, a reality show? Unfortunately you’re not that lucky; this is me and the boss’ show. Our Despair Show!” Monoputa’s disgruntled face erupted into a smile. He then turned to the others, who were already staring thanks to Steve’s drama. “Now, follow me, kiddies~! We have a surprise in store!”

Monoputa quickly toddled away from the block that held the known, and unknown, rooms, rounding the corner.

“Well, I have a feeling we won’t like this at all,” Angel Dog said loudly, as if trying to provoke a response from Monoputa or perhaps the group, and then proceeded to flutter away.

The rest of them followed like sheep. Sarah looked down, now unsure of who to accompany as she walked. She figured going it alone couldn’t be too bad for now, and went in silence.

“I never bothered to remember this area,” Gregory smirked. “Nothing useful could possibly be down this way, hehehe.”

“Wanna bet, Mr. Giggle Pants?” Monoputa chuckled. He stopped after rounding one last corner. “Tadaaa~!” He glamorously gestured to a set of descending stairs blocked off by bars that resembled those in a jail cell. He cupped his hands around his mouth and called out. “It’s ready, boss!”

With a grinding heave, the grate began to rise up and eventually vanish out of sight. The dark cavern was open.

“Isn’t the grate usually open before we get here?” Catherine observed skeptically.

“Yup! But what’s wrong with mixing it up? Besides…” Monoputa’s face became severe and he grinned with malice. Somehow, he maintained his innocent voice, which made it all the more horrifying. “…we just want to show you how much power we have… At any point, we could shut the grate and trap you, and no one will hear you wail down there.”

A deathly silent pause.

Monoputa giggled. “Just kidding. Like we’d ever do that! It’d just interrupt the lovely life of mutual killing you share~!”

“Ugh! You’re _horrible,_ Monoputa!” Angel Dog said, a hand on her heart, like she nearly went into cardiac arrest.

Monoputa sighed and pursed his little lips. “Why do _you_ have to be here? Can’t you just be the hot one all the time?”

Before Angel Dog could say another word, a cloud of smoke engulfed her and vanished as fast as it came, leaving Devil Dog in her place.

“Hot, huh?” She grinned smugly, flipping her hair.

As Monoputa let out a heavenly sigh, Sarah felt the sudden urge to vomit. Couldn’t those two just get a room already?

“Can you stop fucking around?” Steve asked boldly, his voice strong and proud. Sarah jumped a bit at his coarse language. “We know, there’s a new floor. Do you have anything _important_ to say, or can you leave us all alone?”

“Erm, well, no but…” Monoputa looked caught off-guard, then told everyone he conceded via his body language. “H-have a despairingly good time, then!”

He disappeared, leaving the group alone with the yawning dark passage.

“Heh, well Steve, I never knew you had it in you to stand up to Monoputa like that! Good job!” Clock Master smiled warmly and clapped Steve on the back.

“Yeah…” Steve murmured and looked away.

“You feelin’ alright, Stevie-boy? You know, since your girlfriend _died?”_ Devil Dog laughed wickedly. “Heh, maybe you should drink your sadness away like this drunkard here. Or maybe even try and get big and strong - become the man she always wanted you to be~.” She mocked.

Hell’s Chef stepped in front of Steve, obscuring Devil Dog’s view of him. _“STOP!”_ he boomed.

“You’d be _wise_ to listen to him, he’s quite… irrational when he’s angry.” Gregory advised as he spotted Devil Dog’s rebellious smirk. She looked away and huffed.

“Maybe we should focus on investigating the new floor…?” Sarah suggested, hoping to get things back on track. “It could hold more clues or secrets to escape.”

“She’s correct,” nodded Gunman. “But what if we get lost? This part of the floor was a maze to me when I was alone. And there are so few of us now… How would we find a lost person?”

“Then we should stick together. I think there are… few enough of us now to stay as one group.” Catherine deduced.

“It is dark down there though…” Cactus Gunman murmured.

“Men,” Catherine muttered. She raised her voice. “Then Chef and I will head. He can light the way since we don’t have _Angel_ Dog’s wand.” She cast a sidelong glance at the canine’s counterpart who snarled.

Catherine glided across the room elegantly and took Chef’s hand. “C'mon Chef,” she stated, all business. They led the way into darkness.

 

_GHS_

 

Sarah silently trudged along in the near darkness. The lights here seemed somewhat dimmer than the upper floors, with Chef’s distant candle being the main source of light. This floor was similar to the one upstairs; the environment was almost exactly the same except it was just a single passage. So far the only eventful things were three left hand turns.

She sighed. She had been told to stay at the rear of the group and watch for any stragglers. It was flattering that she was being trusted with this, but it was a little hard to see with so many heads blocking Chef’s big light and the wall candles being next to useless. Plus it was lonely. Catherine and Hell’s Chef were in the lead, and these days Gregory and Clock Master were like peas in a pod. Devil Dog was fine alone, and Sarah was sure that was how she preferred it. Directly in front of Sarah was Steve, his stance different, moving in a brooding way. It was almost like he was guarding her. Gunman was just in front of him, occasionally trying to glance back to catch Sarah’s eye. He didn’t dare move closer because of Steve.

“Everyone stop!” Catherine’s serious voice called out, echoing in the tunnel.

Despite the warning, Sarah nearly crashed into Steve, who halted very abruptly. She stood beside him to get a better view of their lizard leader.

“The tunnel branches off two ways,” she explained, “so we’ll have to pick one and stick to it. We’ll start with the left.”

“I don’t think so.” Chef cut in.

He was standing around the left bend and pointed down the path. It curved around to head in the direction they had come, but only for a metre or so. After that, another descending staircase was present, blocked by a steel grate. Sarah was getting tired of seeing those.

“Looks like Monoputa’s tryna entice us into more killing, hehe,” Devil Dog grinned. _“I’m_ curious about what’s down there.”

“Well _I’ve_ had enough of killing! Losing more lives is pointless! Is it so hard to stay alive?!” Clock Master balled his fists.

“Now now, my friend. Do not aggravate yourself. You’ll just be playing into Monoputa’s hands,” Gregory warned.

Sarah couldn’t help but agree and for a moment, her thoughts darted to Steve’s words.

_Every time I look at Clock Master, I see a vengeful man who has nothing left to lose._

_No,_ she told herself. _Clock Master’s words are not a facade. He wouldn’t do that._

“Speaking of that man, perhaps, then, we should try the right?” Gunman piped up. “I doubt he would let the journey end here.”

Catherine nodded. “Makes sense. Now everyone stick close.” She beckoned Chef and they continued the march onward.

Sarah was pleased to find they didn’t have to walk long before another discovery was made.

“Passage,” growled Hell’s Chef.

He was right. Veering to the right was another side passage, reaching into the gloom. Sarah began to wonder just what Monoputa had in store on this floor. For all they knew, this could be one big, never ending labyrinth, and they could be trapped forever.

“But, this passage still continues, right?” Sarah asked, testing her unwelcome theory and again moving closer to see.

Hell’s Chef and Catherine exchanged glances and the former ventured ahead.

“Mmm… This passage… It also turns right a few metres down,” he reported.

Gregory thought for a moment. “I think it would be wisest to enter the side passage…”

“If we rush ahead and pick and choose where we want to go, we’ll lose track of where we are,” Steve added. His expression revealed he didn’t enjoy complying with the rat. “We need to take things as they come.”

Sarah couldn’t deny the logic in his statement, and it seemed Catherine couldn’t either. She looked around the room for faces of complaint, taking the 'majority rules’ attitude.

“Well, if there are no other suggestions, we’ll take the side passage,” she stated.

Chef took his cue and rejoined the group lighting the way with Catherine, the rest of us in tow.

Everyone seemed to have a mountain of energy to spare, their paces unfaltering. Sarah’s job was probably the least eventful, but on the bright side, it gave her time to speculate on her theory. She figured Monoputa was the type to go for cheesy, stereotypical mazes with lots of different paths. There had been a few so far, but not as many as she expected. She stroked her smooth chin as the tunnel wound to the right. Maybe she was on the wrong track? Mazes were supposed to be booby trapped anyway, and no deadly dangers had shown their face so far. On top of that, another critical, despair inducing element was missing - there were no signs of a-

“Dead end.” Hell’s Chef said.

“What?” Sarah blurted out, half caused by the pop of her thought bubble, half from the new news.

“Of _course_ Monoputa was cruel enough to create one of these.” Clock Master scowled. “That’s just like him.”

Devil Dog chuckled. “It sure is!”

“Then let’s not give him the satisfaction of staying here,” Catherine muttered annoyedly and turned on her heels.

The group parted to let her and Hell’s Chef travel to the new front of the group, almost like they were walking down the aisle. Sarah knew Catherine would have loved that, but Chef was another story. Gregory, Clock Master and Devil Dog soon followed and Sarah was finally able to get a good view of the dead end, although there wasn’t much to see. Regardless, Gunman and Steve were nearing it for a closer look. She too was about to turn tail until she heard Steve gasp.

“Wait!” His commanding voice echoed through the tunnels. Everyone stopped in their tracks and eyed him with confusion. “I… I saw a glimmer in the shadows as Hell’s Chef walked past me, so I went to look.” He held up his right hand, which enclosed something flat and rectangular. “It’s another photo…”

His voice faltered and he lowered his arm, squinting to see it.

“Hell’s Chef, please,” Gunman beckoned him as he himself warily drew closer to Steve to get a glimpse.

The candle complied, his light gradually illuminating the picture as he approached. Though Gunman didn’t call the others over, they followed Chef and formed a circle around Steve to all see the picture. Sarah quickly snagged a place at Steve’s left and covered her mouth at the horrible content in the photo.

_Bodies._

_An enormous heap of dead bodies._

The photo showed an innumerable amount of corpses, stacked into a giant pile. Sarah didn’t recognize a single face in the lot, but what faces she could see were frozen in looks of terror and pain… some faces were so mutilated that Sarah couldn’t even tell what they were feeling at the moment of death. An array of guts poured out of some of the corpses’ wounds and cascaded down the side of the pile, and the whole thing was liberally stained with blood.

Sarah was so shocked by the carnage that she didn’t even notice a very important detail about the picture.

Chef did, however, and he tapped his enormous index finger on the top of the glossy photograph. “Look… are those…?”

Sarah’s eyes traveled to where Chef was pointed and another gasp escaped her throat. _Legs, two pairs of legs. People were_ _sitting_ _on this pile of bodies, no doubt proudly, and the tinier pair of legs definitely belonged to Monoputa. The other pair…_

The other pair of legs were crossed, clad in a pair of black slacks with white cuffs. The shoes this person wore were pointed, almost frighteningly so, and they were digging the toe of one of their shoes into the eye of an unfortunate body.

Catherine covered her mouth. “I-is that…?”

“The mastermind…” Sarah’s words were barely a whisper. “It _has_ to be.”

She felt eyes on her and she glanced at their source, seeing a squinty Steve mouth _“Dr Fritz?”_

Sarah shook her head. They had no way of knowing. And if this person was among them… there was no way they would come forward.

“Whatcha looking at, fellas?” Monoputa’s squeaky voice piped up from their feet.

Steve hastily redrew the photo to his chest and looked down, with the others, to see Monoputa in the centre of the circle.

“Heh, you won’t _believe_ what we saw, sweetcheeks,” Devil Dog stared nastily at Steve.

“Oh really? I’ll take that!” The little prompter jumped up and yanked the photo square out of Steve’s hand with his surprising strength. How could he have so much muscle…?

“Oh, so you spied this, hey? Well STOP SPYING IT!” Monoputa scrunched it up and held it close. “It may be a _fabulous_ photo of the boss’ and my own dashing legs and our lovely fun, but that has _NOTHING TO DO WITH YOU!”_ He puffed his cheeks. “Scram, get out of here! Vamoose! This is a dead end, so your exploration of this place _ends_ here! Now go!”

Sarah glanced worriedly at Catherine. She knew what happened to people when they upset Monoputa too much… The nurse quickly steered Hell’s Chef around by the shoulders and took his hand. His eyes widened in surprise, and he was about to refute being manhandled before being dragged away, forced to keep up with Catherine’s now brisk pace. Gregory and Clock Master hastily followed, the former looking slightly nervous and Devil Dog growled and stared angrily at Monoputa, probably because she was pushed away. When Monoputa’s face fell, Devil Dog turned up her nose and headed back the way they had come.

“Babe, wait!” Monoputa reached out a feeble arm before letting it fall after moments of silence. He spun to face the remaining three, glaring pointedly at Steve. “Argh, look what you made me do! Now she’s mad at me! Now scram before I get _really angry…!”_

“Y-y-y-yes sir!” Gunman’s voice became high pitched and he shot back down the tunnel at the speed of light.

Sarah’s heart leaped when she realised Steve wasn’t budging, glowering at fuming Monoputa instead. It was her turn to guard him. Her hand struck out and grasped Steve’s and she started into a run.

“C'mon Steve, we gotta go…!” She hissed urgently, praying Steve would stop being reluctantly dragged and start to run with her. She floundered for excuses. “W-we’ll be left behind! We can’t get lost here!”

Steve made one last glance at Monoputa before abandoning his vengeful desires and matching her pace.

By the time they caught up with the group, they were back at the place where the side passage began.

“There you are,” Catherine sighed with relief, then bounced into stern confusion. “What took you so long? Did you have a death wish?”

Sarah glanced at Steve, who had folded his arms stubbornly, apparently unwilling to show any regret.

“We were at the end of the line, so we took a little longer is all,” Sarah fumbled, not wanting to betray her friend’s wild actions. She was worried they’d fear his recklessness. “Steve had trouble starting to run under that pressure too.”

Steve made no acknowledgement.

“You two ought to be more careful next time. You don’t want to end up like Poor Conductor, do you?” Clock Master warned in a fatherly way.

Sarah nodded submissively to fizzle out the subject.

“I hope you learned from that,” Catherine murmured. She turned to the unexplored path leading to the right. “Let’s not stop too long in case he chases us, follow me.”

Soon enough, the familiar, irregular plodding sound of feet resumed down the unexplored path, which reached straight into the distance as far as the eye could see. The air became thicker, mustier further down and left a dry taste in Sarah’s mouth. _What could possibly lie down this way? How could she get through to Steve?_

_And what was with that photo?_

They raised so many follow-up questions, but Sarah felt at a loss as to who to discuss them with - especially the latter two. A knot tied in Sarah stomach and she gripped her sides, smiling softly at Steve, who had glanced back at her. He was still on guard. She knew from her talk with him about his views on most of the other housemates, and while he was playing bodyguard, she knew she couldn’t get close enough to them. He hadn’t mentioned Angel Dog, but sharing a body with Devil Dog, who was obviously a Monoputa sympathiser, made her uncomfortable. She was also the epitome of 'gossip hound’. There was no way she was an option. After Catherine’s reveal last trial, that only left Steve, but Sarah feared he would take action too soon. She set her face determinedly. She knew they needed to gather all the information they could before trying to get at the mastermind - if they could.

Sarah sighed. She was all alone for now. She crossed her fingers for Steve to be more lenient in the future. Pursing her lips, she figured that was a good priority. Having everyone banded together was absolutely critical, but that could wait for after the exploration, where they needed to analyse any clues they found. As the tunnel began to wind in a blocky fashion, Sarah felt much lighter. Organising priorities always made her feel a little better.

_Now focus, Sarah,_ she told herself. _What did that picture tell you?_

She squeezed her eyes tight and imagined it in her head. A sick feeling began to well as she visualised the mutilated corpses. No matter how much she thought about it, none of the bodies looked vaguely familiar to anyone she knew, nor did she know anyone who wore the mastermind’s black slacks. _As least we know the mastermind has legs,_ Sarah smirked despite it all. _Like that’s any help._ Remembering the variety of the house guests, she realised that was actually helpful. Whoever this figure was, whatever strange form they took, they walked on two feet. That was probably the only thing they could ascertain.

Suddenly, Sarah heard Catherine gasp and Hell’s Chef make a surprised grunt from around the corner ahead of her. Glancing at Steve, they broke into a run around the corner, where they saw a bright blue light behind the sea of people.

“Move down!” Steve hissed at their transfixed companions.

Clock Master, who Steve happened to be pushing, edged down, moving Gregory and Gunman along. Sarah was about to express her thanks when the sight before her made her breath catch in her throat.

“T.V. Fish…” She breathed.

There was a nook in the tunnel wall which T.V. Fish sat, or floated, in. It’s tail swished and body wobbled to keep it upright and it appeared very intent on staying stationary. Sarah peered closer. The strangest part of its body was that its tail swished _through_ the wall behind it… But that wasn’t nearly as odd as the video its screen displayed.

Footage of Catherine embracing a reluctant-looking Hell’s Chef.

The way it was set out on-screen was disorienting. It switched frequently from Catherine’s point of view to Chef’s. As video Catherine and Chef pulled away from each other, Sarah could see this took place in the bar in the hotel, over some drinks. Video Catherine had rather pink cheeks and behind her, Clock Master whooped and hollered. The real two in the tunnel were the closest to the skeletal fish, standing side by side, utterly confused and daunted. Catherine approached it as Chef scoffed and turned his face away.

“When was…” She caught her breath as the screen changed.

It was the nurse’s office. The voices were muffled and indistinct, but Sarah had no doubt that pictured was Mummy Papa, and a little puppy that looked like him, bouncing in the rear.

“What the hell?” Devil Dog tilted her head.

Suddenly, the video shook, the edges tinted red, and an _ENORMOUS_ needle swooped down, straight into Mummy Papa’s head. Sarah’s jaw fell open. _Filling that up…would drain almost all of your blood!_ Red liquid began to ooze up the needle and Sarah hid under her arms, feeling queasy.

“Whoa, whoa, _whoa!”_ She jerked her head up to see Monoputa had leapt out of nowhere, his arms waving violently. “The photo was bad enough, but this? Get _outta_ here, fish sticks! Fly fly fly!”

T.V. Fish’s face returned to the screen, and it looked terrified. In less than a second, it shot through the roof and left no trace.

“That damned fish better not have shown you anything important…!” Monoputa gritted his teeth. He took a deep breath and clapped his hands together. “Alright~! You kids haven’t even found the only room on the floor yet! I’m a bit disappointed, but hey, it’s just around the corner! Now buckle up, get a move on and _forget you ever saw_ _ **any**_ _of that.”_

“Y-you can’t expect us to just forget!” Catherine spluttered. “When did I have drinks with Chef? Who _was_ that little dog? … And _where_ did I get that _needle?”_

She almost sounded impressed with herself and Sarah shuddered.

“No no no. Stop.” Monoputa held up a finger.

Gregory frowned. “But Mo-”

“NO.”

Steve pushed past Sarah. “Hey. Give us some ans-”

“I SAID STOP, BEEFCAKE.” Monoputa leaned forward, his fists balled at his sides. “KEEP. MOVING.”

He stuck his arm out straight so that it was parallel with the floor, pointing down the tunnel. His stare was cold like ice and unbreakable like his craving for suffering.

Scowling, Catherine nudged Hell’s Chef. “Come on.”

They pushed to the front and lead the reluctant odd bunch out, who each looked confused, angry or a mix of both. Seeing Steve stay behind, Sarah pushed him forward, guiding him the right way. He stumbled, but this time he complied. She was glad; she’d be damned if she let him try and start something again…

“Come on, 'beefcake’,” Sarah smirked.

“Don’t call me that,” Steve grunted and he picked up his own slack, tilting his chin in the air.

Her smile fell as Steve left her behind. She had a feeling he was beginning to feel even more isolated. She would need to watch her mouth around him, or he might do something that couldn’t be undone.

Monoputa wasn’t lying when he told them a room was nearby. As the group turned the last bend, they saw a dead end ahead and a double door to their right.

The doors were such a dark shade of purple and seemed to glow in the candlelight. Sarah felt like she had almost forgotten what colours other than shades of grey and those on a candle looked like in the environment.

“It appears we won’t be _dropping dead_ from weariness,” Gregory grinned slyly. “Our final destination is within sight, hehehe.”

Hell’s Chef made a noise that Sarah could have taken as a suppressed snort of laughter. _Do they share the same sense of humour?_ Sarah wondered.

“In any case, this has been one of the biggest floors. I think we’re all pretty weary already,” Sarah remarked.

“Hey, you’re not the one flapping your wings every second to keep you airborne,” Devil Dog snarked.

“Then by all means _walk_ you mangy mutt,” Gregory curled the side of his mouth.

Devil Dog stuck out her tongue.

“Enough playing games,” Catherine chided. “There’ll be plenty of time for that once we’ve investigated this room and searched it for any other clues.”

“We’ve already found so many today…” Gunman uncomfortably grabbed his sombrero as they headed through the doors.

Clock Master chortled. “It’ll be more ammunition to kick the mastermind in the pants with when the time comes!”

“I wouldn’t say no to that,” Steve muttered darkly as Catherine pushed open the doors.

And for the nth time today, Sarah caught her breath.

The room was filled with shelves upon shelves of food, drinks, bed sheets, towels… All the basic necessities for their stay in the hotel. It was around fifteen metres wide too, and stretched back so far that the shelves in the distance seemed to be minimised.

“Monoputa…” Chef murmured as he approached the collection of food. “HAS BEEN HOLDING OUT ON ME!”

His roar echoed and bounced off the walls. While Chef fumed and grumbled to himself and collected food, Catherine faced the remaining people.

“This room looks too big - we’ll need to split up,” she concluded. “We’ll each take different rows of shelves. Look for _anything_ out of place.”

Sarah frowned. “And company brands too, I think. The companies in this area could give away where we are.”

Catherine nodded. “That’s correct, Sarah, good thinking. Anything like that at all, and if you _do_ find something, give a shout. Now it looks like the shelves are sorted into categories…”

She began to divvy up roles for each person to explore. Chef got the food of course.

Sarah’s face began to set in hard determination. So many new clues had been found, and things that just didn’t make sense. She was just all the more eager to find out how the pieces fit and solve the riddle that would lead to their escape.

 

_GHS_

 

_BANG! BANG!_

“Nngh…” Sarah barely roused from her sleep, exhausted from all the exploration she did earlier, which yielded no abnormal or branded products. It was probably Monoputa trying to mess with her again…

_BANG! BANG! BANGBANGBANG!_

“Stop it!” Sarah called sleepily, pulling her covers over her head.

“Senorita, it’s an emergency!” Cactus Gunman’s muffled voice shrieked from the other side of the door. “Come quickly!”

_An emergency…?_

_Oh no._

Sarah leapt out of bed and didn’t even bother to get dressed. She opened the door to find Cactus Gunman standing there, his face pale and his teeth chattering. Gunman was in his underwear, but Sarah wasn’t about to make him go get changed.

“Oh, senorita, thank goodness!” Gunman grabbed Sarah by the shoulders a little too roughly. “You must come with me to the kitchen. This instant. I have no time to explain; you must see it for yourself!”

Sarah feared the worst as Gunman pulled her along. Her head bubbled and fizzed, reeling and spinning with panic and the struggle of springing to action after a long rest. Their bare feet clattered as they raced along the wooden floor. When they reached the kitchen door, Gunman kicked it open, confirming Sarah’s worst fears.

_Blood._

An enormous pool of blood was on the floor, it absolutely reeked and was beginning to dry up. Leaving the blood was a bunch of bloody footprints of someone’s bare feet, along with a humongous smear that led to the refrigerator.

“I… did not notice it when I came in…” Gunman looked guiltily down at his toes. “Those… are my footprints. I was half asleep and very hungry… but my appetite is all gone…”

“Where… where did the blood come from? Whose blood is it?! Is someone else…” Sarah choked before she could get out the word “dead.”

“If someone has died… they cannot be far. I feared what would happen if I searched this place alone…” Cactus Gunman shuddered. “I… I trust you, Sarah, and I need your help. Let us look.”

Sarah had a feeling they wouldn’t have to look for long. “Gunman, there’s a smear…” Sarah pointed to it. It stopped at the fridge, and Sarah noticed that blood was leaking out the bottom. “Someone… someone’s in…”

Sarah almost fell over, but she steadied herself. _No, no… maybe they survived their wounds. Maybe… maybe they already escaped from the fridge. Maybe it’s a trick and there’s no body in there…_

“Sarah… I will open it with you.” Cactus Gunman swallowed, paling again. “You take one handle, I will take the other. We can open on the count of three.”

“Mm…” Sarah managed to nod. Carefully sidestepping the blood, she grabbed ahold of one of the fridge’s handles. Gunman did the same, with shaky hands and whitened knuckles.

“One…”

Sarah squeezed her eyes shut.

“Two…”

Sarah realized that a nauseating smell was coming from the fridge. She suppressed her urge to step away and cover her face. _This was going to be-_

“THREE!”

Sarah and Gunman both yanked the fridge open and were greeted by a wet _SPLACK!_ as something came tumbling out.

Cactus Gunman screamed so loud Sarah’s ears rang, but Sarah still had her eyes squeezed shut.

_That smell… I’ve never smelled anything so disgusting… this body… it must be…_

“S-s-senorita… I… HURG!” Sarah heard Gunman scramble a few feet away followed by the telltale sound of vomit hitting the floor.

_I don’t want to open my eyes._

_If I open my eyes, this will be real… one of my friends will be dead…_

_I… I have to face it. I can’t deny it. This is my reality now… and the killings… they haven’t ended._

_And they never will._

Sarah’s eyes shot open and she stumbled backwards, falling over in shock and landing on her butt. Now that she was at eye level with the body, it was even worse.

“No… not him…” Tears filled Sarah’s eyes. How could anyone be so cruel?! This person didn’t deserve to have such an awful death… no one deserved _this._

His stomach had been sliced open, and his guts had poured out of his body. Sarah was sure nothing remained in his lower digestive system. His shirt had been torn and Sarah could see that he had an enormous purple bruise on his right shoulder. The side of his neck was slashed, and his arms were decorated with shallow scratches made by who knows what. He was absolutely covered in blood; he reeked of it, and the pungent aroma was made all the worse by the smell of his gastric juices.

Sarah prepared herself for the worst as she moved forward to look at his face.

His eyes had rolled back and his tongue was lolling out of his mouth. His nose had been broken and dried blood from it decorated his face. This was the look of someone who had completely given into pain, pain beyond belief… pain that Sarah could not even contemplate.

_Disembowelment… and all these wounds… who could have done such a thing?!_

“Senorita… are you okay?” Cactus Gunman’s voice was still thick from his earlier stomach trouble, but he wasn’t about to leave Sarah alone.

“No… I’m not. I’m not okay…” Sarah gasped and smashed her palms against her eyes, bending in half. “I just… never expected this. No motive, out of nowhere… he's… he’s dead…”

Cactus Gunman edged closer to Sarah and gently placed his hand on her back. “I… feel awful for what I did… how I treated him… he was a good man. I did not want us to lose him…”

Sarah began to cry wildly, letting out every bit of grief she had in her. She cried so hard the corners of her mouth hurt, she cried so hard that she started to cough and retch.

“Sarah… cry all you want to. I… I do not want to leave him in this condition. I am going to get something to cover him with.”

With that, Gunman quickly left the room and came back a few minutes later with sheets from the linen closet. Sarah barely noticed him coming and going, she was too busy sobbing hysterically. Her heart hurt, her head hurt, her whole body hurt…

“Sarah… would you like to help?” Gunman asked gently.

“I… I…” Sarah scrubbed her tears and snot on her arm, leaving a lovely streak. “Yes. It’s-it’s the least I can do.”

Still sniffling, Sarah grabbed one edge of the linen and lowered it down over the body. Sarah took one last look at the corpse’s face and felt that familiar fire light up in her belly.

“I promise… I _promise,_ that we’ll catch whoever did this to you, and we’ll send that bastard to _Hell.”_ Sarah hissed, beyond angry that someone could have betrayed all of their trusts and mutilated someone just for the fun of it.

“We promise,” Cactus Gunman nodded solemnly as he pulled the now bloodstained sheet over the body’s face.

Sarah hung her head and crouched down, gently brushing her fingers against the victim’s cheek through the linen. “Steve… I’m so sorry…”

Sarah burst into tears again and Gunman sidled up to her, doing his best to soothe her.

Sarah had an awful, clawing feeling in her heart. She knew this wouldn’t be the last time she would cry like this.


	27. In the Kitchen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Hi hi, everyone! Got a nice shiny new chapter for you to ring in the new year with!_   
>  _Artists this go are classycloudcuckoolanderclasso, and crimson-miz and gregory-horror-house will be adding stuff to it later, as well! I’ll make an announcement when the art is added!_   
>  _If anyone else wants to make art I can add to this chapter, let me know and I’ll stick it in and announce your contribution! <3_   
>  _I hope you enjoy this case’s investigation! Feel free to send us your theories!_

_**Sarah wasn’t sure how much time had passed.** _

She had knelt in front of Steve’s covered body for what seemed like hours with her head bowed, tears slowly rolling down her face. Gunman knelt by her side, his hands folded in his lap and his brow furrowed with concern. He couldn’t bring himself to leave Sarah. Every time he saw her sad, he felt deep cracks form in his heart. This place was so cruel, so unforgiving… both he and Sarah had lost people who were very dear to them. Gunman regretted everything he ever said to Steve, every dirty look he shot his way. Why didn’t he realize it sooner? Sarah loved Steve the same way Gunman loved Cactus Girl. Evita.

The silence was pierced by the door creaking. Gunman gasped and looked over his shoulder, but Sarah stayed silent and solemn.

The person who opened the door was a very, very sleepy Chef clad in pajamas that were too big, even for him. He was still wearing his toque and the collar of his pajamas were pulled up over his mouth, much like his uniform. His eyes weren’t even open and he was scrubbing at one of them with a clenched fist. Even in this state, Gunman could tell he was very, very irritated.

“Why… were you screaming…?!” Chef didn’t sound very intimidating with that sleepy edge to his voice, but Gunman still shuddered nonetheless.

“U-uh, well…” Gunman noticed that Chef was approaching the blood puddle on the floor, the one that was quite a ways away from the covered body. It wasn’t completely dry yet, if Chef stepped in it…

“…why is it cold?” Chef cracked open one eye.

That was all he needed. The flame on his head burst into an inferno and his eyes shot open. “WHO MADE A MESS OF MY KITCHEN?!”

That jolted Sarah out of her sadness. She whirled to face Chef, her face still streaked with tears and her eyes puffy and red.

“I-it wasn’t either of us!” Gunman rose to his feet, sticking out his chest. “Senor, please, don’t raise your voice! Sarah is very upset!”

“Wait…” Chef’s flame flickered for a moment before returning to its usual size. “This is blood… what’s under that sheet?! Why was it in my refrigerator?! All the food is bad now!”

“Calm! Down!” Gunman urged, his face paling. Standing up to Chef was frightening, but he couldn’t have him upsetting Sarah further.

“Chef…” Sarah’s voice was choked with sobs. “Steve died. He's… under that sheet. Someone… someone killed him horribly…”

Chef staggered backwards a step, blinking in disbelief. “It started again?!”

Without asking for permission, Chef lurched forward, pulling up the sheet just enough to reveal Steve’s face.

“Oh…” Chef breathed. Before he could say anything else, Monoputa’s merry voice came over the speakers.

“A body has been discovered in the kitchen!” Monoputa sounded like he was bursting with excitement. “I’m impressed! There wasn’t even a motive this time! Hehe, this’ll be a toughie~ After a brief period of investigation, the house trial will begin!”

Chef dropped the sheet unceremoniously and straightened up. “Hey,” he glared down at Sarah, whose spine went rigid. “Don’t cry!  _Investigate!_  Find out who made a mess of _my kitchen!”_  Chef pounded his fist into an open palm.

Sarah responded by choking and burying her face in her drawn-up knees.

“That is no way to talk to a grieving senorita,” Cactus Gunman looked at Hell’s Chef with intense disapproval. Hell’s Chef just snorted and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. That was about the reaction Gunman expected, but he still scoffed and folded his arms tightly across his bare chest.

Sarah’s heart writhed and shrieked in her chest and she clenched her teeth in pain. Her mind felt like a muddled mess; she couldn’t think straight. One little thought floating at the surface of her mental typhoon was sheer anger at Hell’s Chef. How  _dare_  he command her and be so self centred about his kitchen during a time like this? She had done so much to help this group in trials, piecing together unlikely shards of information and providing emotional support - why couldn’t it be her turn to take a backseat and just cope with her feelings? Or was she meant to be some sort of a miracle problem fixer, kept up at night by people’s demands and never once having a thought for herself?

She heaved a painful breath and weakly hit her fist on the floor, kicking up a small splash of blood. It was then, in the corner of her senses, she heard the nearing sound of chiming bells.

“It couldn’t be…” Gunman murmured.

Sarah raised her head and her eyes grew twice their size at the figure before her. “D-Death?”

She took a second to cringe a little at her own voice. She sounded like a half drowned cat!

“You betcha, buddy!” Death said cheerily. “Good to see ya again!”

“Where were you?” Chef asked coldly.

“Ah…haha…” Death scratched the back of his head. “Well, after I told ya about what Gold’s soul said, about believing in ya, Monoputa threw a fit. Well, his boss did. They said at first it was funny, but relaying stuff the souls say so often is dangerous and put our deal at risk, so, I’ve been taking the souls trapped in the bodies after ya left ‘em unattended. They’ve got a bit less energy, but otherwise they’re just as good as any other.”

“But-but why are you here now? I don’t understand,” Gunman frowned.

“Well, Monoputa was so happy about a murder occurring without a motive, he wanted me to fetch it as soon as I could. So here I am!” Death floated closer to Steve’s body and flung back the sheet. “Now no more chitchat, I’ve got to get to work or I’m going to get busted.”

As Death raised his scythe and hollered 'HOO-AH!’, Sarah stared at him in panic. He was on the inside with Monoputa and since he managed souls, he could tell her about that strange room of souls that Gregory Mama died in, if it held her friends, or if Monoputa and the mastermind had more victims than they knew what to do with. Heck, since he seemed to lack a taste for malice, he could tell her about the name frantically flashing in her mind: “DR. FRITZ”. She had to get it right, she had to say everything perfect so-

The door creaked open again, but Sarah didn’t look.

“Hey, look at that! Your friends have arrived!” Death noted in his jaunty way. He held Steve’s harvested soul in a jar tucked under his arm. It was blue, and bounced off the walls frantically. Seeing it put a frog in Sarah’s throat and stung her eyes.

“Well, looks like my job here is done. I’ll see ya when I see ya!” Death continued.

“W-wait!” Sarah cried.

Death stared at her forlorn and disheveled form. Now that the moment had actually come, Sarah found all the combinations of all the things she wanted to say were trapped in her throat.

Death sighed. “Look kid, I’d help ya if I could, but that just ain’t how things work. Stick it out, a'ight? You’ll get there. Good luck, buddy!” He farewelled before he disappeared with the soul of one of her dearest friends.

Sarah’s head dropped and she choked on a sob again.  _Stick it out._  As if hearing those three words would help her feel any better… why did she think she could trust Death in the first place?! Monoputa held all the power… even over Death.

No matter how small he was, no matter how he never seemed to take anything seriously, Monoputa was evil to his core. Sarah couldn’t forget that.

Due to Sarah’s incapacitating sadness, it was up to Gunman to explain the situation to the other residents of Monoputa House. Death hadn’t bothered to put back the sheet, so Steve’s body was exposed down to his torn stomach, his coiling intestines looking like the contents of a trash can at a sausage factory. She couldn’t look away.

Suddenly, she felt something gently shaking her shoulders.

“Sarah. Sarah look at me.” She peeled her eyes away and vaguely focused on the pink face before her. Catherine clicked her tongue. “You’re in quite the state, aren’t you? Come on, up you go.”

She hoisted Sarah to her feet, putting in most of the effort and mumbling small praise. It just made Sarah feel numb, like the praise wasn’t really hers, bouncing off like light on a reflective surface. She dragged her eyes up to see her only friends.

Hell’s Chef was off to the side, mumbling about all the cleaning he had ahead of him and Gregory, Clock Master and Angel Dog were gaping at the body. The latter two were horrified at the ghastly sight, while the former simply shook his head with a cunning smile. Sick.

She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see Gunman, his face oozing concern. Somehow she mustered a smile. There was at least one person who she knew she could really rely on, who really cared.

“That boy…” Clock Master said, his voice barely a whisper. “That’s no way to go…”

“Indeed. And without a motive, no less. Truly mystifying…” Gregory placed a hand on his chin.

“More like 'truly AWESOOOME~’!” Monoputa hollered, cupping his hands around his mouth as he appeared out of the ether. “I’m sooo excited about this murder! No motive! A super gory corpse! Ohohohoho, this mystery is getting me all hot and bothered!”

“Just give us the file and go,” Catherine released Sarah, who wobbled shakily, and stretched out her clawed hand. She glared at the Prompter with contempt.

“Hmph,” Monoputa pulled a Monoputa file and evidence bag out of nowhere and slammed them into her palm. “Choke on it.”

While Monoputa and Catherine bickered, Sarah felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned to see Angel Dog, who was hovering a few inches off the ground so she could be at eye level with Sarah.

“You look just awful…” Angel Dog folded her hands under her chin, her eyes glimmering with sadness. “Steve was a great friend to you, to all of us… maybe you should get some rest.”

“But… the investigation…” Sarah was already struggling to stay on her feet, but she knew she had to help. Her feeble microsteps faltered as Angel Dog grabbed her hand.

“We can handle it,” Angel Dog nodded confidently. “I’ll fill you in when you wake up, okay?”

“But…” Sarah tried to protest, but Angel Dog held up her free hand.

“No! You  _need_  to rest!” Angel Dog urged. “Please, for your sake!”

Sarah flopped over in defeat. “Okay…”

Sarah leaned on Angel Dog’s shoulder and Angel Dog led her out of the room, Gunman looking after her nervously.

It took a few seconds before Gunman realized everyone was staring at him.

“Think you can handle all of this without Sarah holding your hand?” Gregory snickered, prompting a glare from Catherine.

“Now is not the time, Gregory,” Catherine scoffed from her place kneeling next to the body. “This case has no motive. We have a lot to go over, so use what Monoputa has given you  _well_.”

“Who messed up my kitchen?!” Hell’s Chef roared, tearing at his hair.

“Calm down, my friend,” Gregory patted Chef on the back and Chef bristled, glaring down at the much smaller man. “We’ll never figure it out if you keep throwing tantrums.”

“Hmph,” Hell’s Chef’s shoulders slumped and he folded his arms as tightly as he could.

“First of all, we need to go over the file,” Sighing, Catherine opened it up. “Someone fill Angel Dog in when she gets back.”

“I’ll take care of it,” Clock Master flashed Catherine a thumbs up.

Without hesitation, Catherine began reading her file aloud.

_“The victim was Steve Sawyer, one of the only human residents of Monoputa House. He was killed in the kitchen at 2:45 AM and stuffed into the fridge. He was violently eviscerated and is covered in injuries. The cause of death is believed to be the slash to his throat.”_

“Nothing about the murder weapon?” Gregory stroked the excess fuzz on his chin. “Hmm, interesting…”

“H-he must have suffered a lot…” Gunman shivered and hugged himself. “Poor, poor man…”

Catherine held up the Monoputa File, revealing a small illustration of Steve that was covered in red, bloody marks. “I have a lot to examine. I’ll be here a while… Chef, can you help me guard the body?”

Chef gave a little grunt that Catherine translated to an affirmation. “Let me change first.”

Catherine was the only one who bothered to put on her clothes before she came to the scene of the crime. Sighing a bit, she said: “Okay, everyone get changed and we’ll meet back here. I’ll be examining Steve in the meantime.”

Everyone murmured in agreement, the air heavy with sorrow. They all split up, leaving Catherine alone with Steve’s reeking dead body.

“Sorry, Steve,” Catherine gently stroked Steve’s cold face before pulling out a pair of medical scissors. “I have to look at every inch of you.”

She cut his clothes down the middle, barely even wincing when her wrist brushed against his viscera, staining her pristine uniform. She left Steve’s underwear on in an attempt to preserve some of his dignity.

“Huh?” Catherine’s eyes widened as she looked at Steve’s hip. “ _That’s_  interesting…”

 

_GHS_

 

Sarah felt like she was floating.

She saw nothing but blackness, but she could feel herself bobbing up and down. It wasn’t pleasant, but it wasn’t uncomfortable, either. Perhaps she was in limbo, somewhere between life and death…

She floated there, calmly, wordlessly, for what seemed like an eternity. Suddenly, her vision filled with a bright blue light that seemed to be swirling around, and the quiet sound of a bell rang in her ears.

An all-too familiar voice echoed through the swirling void, and a robed figure came into view. “Come on now, give it up! Throw away all dem worries!”

Before Sarah knew it, she was floating in front of Death, who seemed to be smiling as much as a skeleton could, his bony brow in a guilty furrow.

“What are you doing here?” Sarah asked, her voice echoing as if she were in the world’s deepest cave. “Am… am I dead?”

Death chuckled, with more humour than, Sarah thought, someone with a name like his could possess. “Far from it. You’re more alive den anyone else here.”

“Then… what are you doing here?” Sarah repeated, blinking slowly.

Death shook his head, his black hair billowing with the motion. “Monoputa can’t look into your dreams. He can plant stuff in your heads, he can get inside your minds, but the sleeping mind… he and his boss know how to change it, but not how to get into it.” Death rested a bony hand on his chest. “As for me… I can come and go as I please. Figured I’d pay ya a little visit.”

Sarah narrowed her eyes at him. “That doesn’t answer my question.”

Death huffed. “How thick can ya be? I’m here to  _help_  ya! I admire your moxie, kid, I know I’m a freelance agent and all dat, but I can’t help but root for ya.” Leaning a little closer, Death added: “Besides, I’ve had a soft spot for ya as long as I can remember. You and Steve. Feels like we go way back. You feel dat too?”

“A… a little bit…” Sarah blinked back tears at the mention of Steve’s name. “I… I can’t believe he died. Death… you can’t do anything about that, can you?”

Death shook his head. “Even if I could put his soul back into his body, he’d just die again. You die in this world, you’re done for good. Nothin’ I can do.”

Sarah sniffled and slumped her head, tears rolling down her face.

“But,” Death reached forward, lifting Sarah’s chin so her puffy eyes made contact with his empty ones. “I can pass on a message from him. Can’t give you any answers, but I can tell you dis much…”

Death went quiet, and so did Sarah. After what seemed like several minutes, Sarah heard Steve’s voice echoing throughout the void.

“Sarah, look under the counter.”

_The counter?_  Sarah was more confused than ever. Which counter? The one in the store? The one in the lobby? In the kitchen? The nurse’s office? There were so many! She had a lot of searching to do…

“They all believe in you, Sarah. Every single one of those souls.” Death grabbed the edge of his robe and wiped Sarah’s tears with it. “Don’t give up, kiddo. You’ve got more of dat self determination than I’ve ever seen! I think dat’s part of why they know  _you,_ outta all the others, are the one to do it.”

Sarah sniffed and wiped her nose, a smile blooming across her face. It was as if her heart was being tickled from the inside! She knew no matter how much Monoputa wanted them to believe the others were truly gone, as long as Death was around and rooting for her, they weren’t. Maybe they weren’t the same, but just knowing who they were, what made them special, still existed? That was enough.

_And not only that… they really… believe in me… So I can’t let them down! They’re on my side from the beginning to the end, and when I reach it, they’ll still be there too! We’re going to make it!_

Renewed with a new hope and an investigation target square in her crosshairs, she felt a small giggle erupt from the back of her throat.

“Thank you, Death… And Steve too!” She shot her skeletal companion a look of warm gratitude. “I’ll give it my all, for you and the others. Please, keep them safe for me.”

“Hey, dat’s my job!” He shrugged and patted her on the back. “Now I’d better skedaddle before Monoputa notices a thing, and you have an investigation to do. I know ya can do it. Good luck there, buddy!”

Death slowly began to shrink away, and soon, Sarah lonesomely bobbed to herself in the darkness again. She let herself relax and sink into the black until she faded away…

 

_GHS_

 

Sarah’s eyes shot open, a fire burning in her heart once again. Every time it was extinguished, something ignited it again, sending her back on the path of solving the mystery of this cursed hotel.

_Maybe I was born to do this…_  Sarah thought as she yawned and stretched her arms far over her head.  _What a hand to be dealt._

Whether she was born to do this or not, she knew she had to figure out what happened to Steve. Throwing on her clothes and tying up her red hair, she was out the door and heading towards the kitchen in less than two minutes.

_The kitchen is where the murder happened…_  Sarah’s brow creased as she jogged down the hall, eager to investigate the hint that Death and Steve’s soul had given her.  _This_ _ **must**_ _be the counter he was talking about!_

She burst into the kitchen like a woman on a mission, Hell’s Chef letting out a little grunt of surprise. Catherine, who was still prodding at Steve’s corpse, looked up at Sarah with concern in her eyes.

“Sarah, have you seen Angel Dog? She’s been missing in action since she took you to your room…” Catherine shook her head. “I’m really worried about her.”

“Angel’ll be fine,” Hell’s Chef grunted.

Catherine glared at him. “You don’t know that.”

“I haven’t seen her, I’m sorry, Catherine,” Sarah felt her stomach tighten up. The last thing they needed was for something to happen to another one of their friends… “No sign of Devil Dog either. I just woke up, though. Maybe she went to investigate on her own?”

“We can only hope,” Catherine let out a long sigh. “I did find something interesting on this body.”

“What is it?” Sarah asked, tentatively approaching. She couldn’t believe she could look at Steve’s body without being nauseated.  _This place desensitized me… disgusting. No one should have to live like this._

“Steve was definitely in a fight, there are so many different injuries on his body… all of them were inflicted before he died, and  _this_  is what did him in,” Catherine pointed one of her sharp nails at Steve’s neck. “A clean slit across the throat. He was alive and fighting with all those injuries. He has a huge bruise on his back, but that’s not what’s bothering me. Here, on his hip…” Catherine moved her finger so it hovered above Steve’s standout injury. “Someone bit him.”

“ _Bit_ him?” Hell’s Chef glowered. “What? Was my food not good enough? Why would they try to eat STEVE?!”

Catherine heaved another enormous sigh. “That’s not the  _point,_  Chef. This was clearly intended to harm or incapacitate Steve. It’s very deep and it seems like it was made with full force.”

“Full force?” Sarah raked her brain for any person in the hotel who was capable of biting that hard.

“Before you ask, it wasn’t me,” Catherine opened her mouth, exposing small, peglike teeth that lined the sides of her mouth, none of them in the front. “I would never do something so  _vile.”_  She stuck out her tongue and hissed.

“Why would they bite him if they didn’t want to eat him?!” Hell’s Chef seemed utterly baffled at the prospect. “There’s no other reason to bite something!”

“Oh, honey, you have a lot to learn,” Catherine shook her head at Chef before she began to examine a bruise on Steve’s stomach.

Sarah began to wander towards the counter, Steve’s words echoing in her mind. Bending down, her eyes widened when she saw something small and sharp stuck in the groove that separated the counter from the kitchen tiles. “This is…?”

Catherine’s head popped up and she blinked at Sarah. “Did you find something?”

“I found a tooth,” Sarah turned around, holding the small, pointed bone in her hand. “It’s stained with blood…”

There was blood on both edges of it, and it seemed like it was forcibly removed from the mouth of whoever had it. “It looks like a canine, but it’s pointier than any canine I’ve ever seen…” Sarah mumbled, turning it around in her hand. “And bigger.” Granted, she hadn’t seen that many teeth in her life. She didn’t exactly make a habit of looking into people’s mouths.

“If someone lost that…you’d be able to tell who did easily…” Hell’s Chef’s glowing eyes widened just a bit.

“Hmm,” Catherine opened Steve’s mouth a little too forcibly for Sarah’s liking. “It’s not his tooth. He still has all of his teeth.”

“That must mean…” Sarah’s eyes widened as she put the tooth in her evidence bag. “… Steve fought back! He probably got a blow in on the person he was attacking!”

“Once we’re in the courtroom, we’ll figure this out,” Catherine smirked. “Injuries are tough to hide. Not to mention a missing tooth. Good thinking, Sarah.” Catherine winked at her.

Sarah blushed so hard the tips of her ears practically caught fire. Getting praised by Catherine was embarrassing…

“I’m glad to see you being yourself again,” Catherine added with a smile. “We still have a lot of work to do… we need to make Steve proud.”

Sarah nodded, feeling a pang in her heart.

“And  _please_  find Angel Dog. I’m really worried about her,” Catherine admitted, turning her attention back to Steve.

“… I am too…” Hell’s Chef added, refusing to make eye contact with Sarah. “Find her.”

“Hopefully I will,” Sarah felt another pang in her heart.  _Could Angel Dog… or Devil Dog… have done this?_

_I need to find Gunman before I do anything,_ Sarah shook her head.  _Who knows what trouble he’s gotten himself into…_

 

_GHS_

 

_All right, Gunman, you can do this…_  Cactus Gunman’s eyes flicked all over the garden, narrowed in the most serious manner he could muster.  _Make your seester proud._

He found himself wandering toward the garden beds.  _Would a murderer bury the knife?_  Gunman figured the plots would be ruined if that was the case, but he decided to check, just to make sure.

The roses he and Steve had cared for had died. As soon as Cactus Girl… left them, Gunman felt too hurt to do anything constructive, and Steve changed into a brooding mess. Roses were delicate and their neglect caused them to perish in almost no time.

_There is too much death here…_  Gunman shook his head as he gently touched the dried out petals.  _Too much death._

The herbs Chef was caring for were still in perfect condition, which didn’t surprise Gunman. That damned candle was either completely heartless or completely unshakable. Gunman thought it might be a little of both.

“If the plots were disturbed, there would be no trace of the plants…” Gunman grumbled to himself. His roses had died, but they were still all there. Not to mention someone messing with Chef’s herbs would spell their doom, he was sure.

Still, Gunman resigned himself to check the areas of the garden plots that had little to no flora. As he worked, he remembered gardening with Steve, the only time the two of them ever got along.

_His eyes would light up whenever I mentioned my seester…_ Gunman shook his head.  _He was naive, completely pure. This place can corrupt even the purest mind…_

Gunman sniffled as his sister’s smiling face flashed through his mind.  _Ugh, Evita, not now… your brother has work to do._

Not seeing anything hidden in the dirt, Gunman picked himself up and shuffled to the other end of the garden. After a quick pace around, he deduced there was nothing behind the shed or in its vicinity, so he decided to investigate the cluttered mess inside. He didn’t know if there would be anything in here, and if there was, if he could  _find_  it, but it would be worth a try.

He could practically imagine his sister by his side, punching him in the rib just a little too hard.  _“Big brother, this is serious!”_  she would have scolded, trying to hide her red, puffy eyes behind her anger.  _“We need to find out who did this to Steve! I swear, I’ll kill them myself-”_

Cactus Gunman shook his head around, choking back a tear. He forgot about his sister’s penchant for violent threats. He never could have predicted that she’d act upon them, not in this place…

_Sarah must feel like this…_  Cactus Gunman clutched at his chest, taking a deep breath. The musty, wooden smell of the shed filled his nose and almost made him cough.  _I still cannot believe we both lost someone so dear to us…_

Sniffling a bit, Gunman began examining everything in the shed.

_Wooden crates, all empty. A broken lawnmower. Lengths of rope. Charcoal and firewood. Gasoline. Shovels, rakes, hoes… wait._

There were three shovels, all hanging on the wall, all different sizes. Gunman and Steve had used them while they were gardening to violently tackle weeds - there was only one trowel. But Gunman remembered that there were four shovels… the biggest one was missing.

“Hmm…” Gunman’s searching became more thorough. He pushed aside an enormous stack of crates, and his jaw dropped when he found what he was looking for.

The shovel was lying on the ground behind the boxes, looking quite beat up. There were scratches all over its hilt, and, much more alarmingly, a liberal amount of blood splatters. There was a tiny speck of blood on the tip of the shovel blade.

“But… a shovel couldn’t have hurt Steve like that…” Gunman mumbled as he lifted it up and shoved it into his evidence bag. He was still surprised at the mechanics of such a seemingly simple item. “I will have to discuss this with Sarah.”

Gunman opened the door to the shed, his stomach in uncertain knots. As if on cue, Sarah wandered into the garden and gave Gunman a warm smile as soon as she saw him.

Gunman returned her slight smile. Happy as he was to see her, the weight of the situation was really putting a damper on his mood. He could tell by how pale and puffy Sarah’s face was that she wasn’t taking this well, either.

_I despise this place,_  Gunman would have spat if there wasn’t a senorita present.

“Did you find anything?” Sarah didn’t bother with greetings. She was sure Monoputa was sitting at his intercom, smirking like the little shit he was, just waiting to start the trial. She didn’t have time for casual conversation.

Gunman opened his mouth to tell her, but Sarah grabbed him by the wrist before he could get a word out, softly, as was her way with such fragile skin.

“Tell me on the way, Gunman, and I’ll catch you up too.” Sarah tugged him towards one of the entrances back into the hotel. “There’s one more place I want to check…”

 

_GHS_

 

Gregory tucked his paws into his pink pockets. “While I do feel grateful that we haven’t found anything… ominous, it does make me wonder how this trial will proceed.”

His soft, furry feet brushed the glossy wood of the staircase. Despite the hotel’s old guise, it stood as steadfast as if it were built just yesterday.

Both Gregory and Clock Master had inspected the library and travelled up its stairwell, where they examined all they could of the floor. They had to leave the girl’s changing room alone, of course. They now returned to the ground floor by the back stairs on the right side of the house. The storeroom was in sight.

“Agreed, we don’t have very much to work with. But with our combined intellect, including  _my_  many years, information should reveal itself.” Clock Master seemed to have strong faith in himself. “After all, there is much left we are yet to check.”

Gregory grimaced and his voice quivered. “Ohhh don’t get too comfortable! There is a lot of rooms in this hotel… Maybe too many! We might not catch them all before…”

“Haha, never fear, Gregory. I am  _Clock_  Master. I have to start living up to my name for my son! I’ll be damned if this stops me from being the father he deserves.” Clock Master wore a mask of determination as he walked briskly to the door of the storeroom and swung it open.

“A-a-and, if you  _don’t_  achieve that?” Gregory pried, following the clock inside.

“Well…” Clock Master sighed. “There’s always the bar, if we manage to surpass this trial, isn’t there?”

As much as Gregory enjoyed Clock Master as a drinking companion and a friend, he knew he visited there far too much. He just hoped he wasn’t dragged to that level with him! He simply nodded.

“Well on the subject of unattainable goals, I’m having strong flashbacks to the lost and found. And a previous time I investigated here…” Gregory mumbled. Mama had been as cruel then as ever…

Clock Master ignored his added comment. “It is rather cluttered… Fortunately there is much less here than there was in that old place. This shouldn’t take very long. Start searching!”

Gregory scrambled into action like the rat he was. After long minutes of peering into nooks and crannies, he detected a placid movement in his peripherals. Clock Master had reached out to stroke the grandfather clock.

“Feeling sentimental, are we?” Gregory smirked as he leant on the table nearest to his companion.

Clock Master jumped. “Um, well… Yes.”

The old rat’s eyes widened in interest.

“I was simply… wondering… I mean, of course I worked with clocks before I came here. I must have. But… Did I… teach my son how to do that? Perhaps we… had a family business, or worked together. Maybe he practised on a clock much like this one…”

Clock Master wiped some dust off the rim of the clock and chuckled to himself.

“It feels…strange to miss the boy who all others loathed… But stranger to miss the boy you don’t ever recall meeting…”

“Well…” Gregory toddled over to Clock Master’s side, he placed a comforting hand on the old man’s shoulder. “…Perhaps you will need that drink regardless. Why don’t we fetch one together after we take a peek at the lounge?”

“I'd…like that very much… Thank you,” Clock Master smiled at his creepy companion’s courteousness.

Gregory chuckled. “The pleasure is all mine, my friend. Though I advise you not to overdo it. There may be  _dire_  consequences…”

“What? Losing my head? I was never much use in trials, Gregory. I doubt I’d be any different, sober or not!” While Clock Master laughed away, Gregory shook his head. His recklessness would get him killed, but it was undoubtedly amusing. “The only thing I can do is present findings from the rooms. I’ll let the young'uns figure out what it all means, hoho!”

Clock Master jolted suddenly, alert. “Ah! I haven’t been doing my part!”

He practically dove at Gregory’s feet, knocking the rat out of his suave pose with a cry and flat onto his bum. The floor wasn’t exactly cushioned and with a scowl, he glanced at his throbbing behind.

“Ow… Honestly, are you any better than the children that were in here? Causing a ruckus like that…” Gregory hauled himself to his feet and dusted off his coat. He thought he heard Clock Master say his name softly, but ignored it for chiding’s sake. “Ridiculous. Are you sure haven’t had any drinks already, Clock Master? That was rather unorthodox. Though, I suppose no one can help what they do in a panic…”

“ _Gregory…”_  Clock Master was on his hands and knees, head capture by the shadows under the table Gregory had once been leaning on.

“Are you even listening to me? For heaven’s sake, what are you  _doing_  under there?” Gregory huffed as he approached his friend.

“Gregory!” Once he was within arm’s length, Clock Master’s arm rocketed out, latched onto Gregory’s coat and yanked the poor fellow to his knees.

“Oof! My  _knees!_  I…” Gregory broke off when he saw Clock Master’s smug stare and looked under the table.

A butcher’s knife was embedded in the wall, deeply no less. At least a quarter of its long, precise blade was enmeshed with the wood. With his somewhat keen eyes, Gregory saw that the sides just around where it touched the wall were slightly damaged, a duller silver compared to the rest.

He looked back at Clock Master. Without a doubt, that was going in  _his_  evidence bag.

 

_GHS_

 

_That shovel… What could it mean?_  Sarah wondered once she and Gunman had exchanged information.  _I see why he waited to discuss it with me, but this really is a puzzle. I’ll need to let it sit for a bit. Hopefully we can piece this together with the tooth…_

Sarah hit the brakes and she had a feeling that Gunman was hardly surprised when her feet came to a halt outside…  _that_ room. She released his hand and gave a firm shove down on the handle. Locked.

Sarah felt her stomach drop. Steve had probably locked his room fully intending to return later that night. There was no way he could have known…

“Sarah,” Gunman grasped her shoulder. “I know how much you want to see inside and how much we need to but… We do not have the key. There is no way we can get in.”

Sarah snorted. “Yeah, there is. We just need to call a certain jackass in to help us.”

Gunman let out a loud groan. “Surely you don’t mean…?”

“I do.” Sarah took a deep breath, cupping her hands around her mouth. “MONOPUTA! We need your help!”

Almost instantaneously, Monoputa popped out of nowhere, wearing a humungous grin. Sarah had never seen him that happy; just looking at him smiling like that made her shudder audibly.

“Never thought I’d see the day where you would ask  _me_  for help!” Monoputa’s grin got even wider, exposing even more sharp and pearly white teeth that Sarah thought he possessed. She almost expected his cheeks to split open.

Sarah huffed. “Don’t be so full of yourself. Just unlock the door and get lost.”

“So mean,” Monoputa feigned heartbreak, but his grin wouldn’t falter. “Unfortunately for you, nothing will break my mood today~. Now behave Nancy Drew, or no one will root for you as the protagonist! Then where would you be?”

“Just open the door,” Sarah narrowed her eyes.

“Huff! What a prompter gets for friendly advice these days.” Monoputa flourished and suavely snapped his fingers.

At that moment, a little  _click_  came from Steve’s door and Gunman cautiously tried the handle. The door creaked open inwardly.

“What? You doubted me, Gunman? How could you be skeptical of this face~” Monoputa posed in what he thought was a cute fashion.

Sarah balled her hands into fists. “You’ve done what you needed to, now can you  _get lost?”_

Monoputa stuck his tongue out. “I have better ways to spend my time anyway.  _Much…_  better ways.” He clicked his heels and disappeared, just like that.

Sarah rolled her eyes and scoffed.  _What a drama queen._

“Forget about him. He is just trying to distract you. I know… Cactus Girl would want us to focus now.” Gunman looked to his feet.

Sarah laced her hand with his, lifting up the front of his sombrero. “And Steve too.”

Gunman’s eyes met hers and he looked away, blushing profusely. Sarah felt her own face heat up and kept it quietly to herself, pushing the door completely open.

In that single instant, all tenderness was gone.

Sarah gasped, her body growing rigid and hand falling pathetically from her cactus companion’s grasp.

_…S-Steve?_

The room looked like a disaster site, perhaps that of a bomb explosion or just immense chaos. Papers with scribbles were strewn everywhere, bed covers thrown back, drawers extended or removed and askew. Bundles of Steve’s clothes lay everywhere from the fallen chair and lampshade to the top of the messy wardrobe, oozing its contents onto the floor. It was… horrifying.

“What… what  _happened_  to him?” Sarah’s cool demeanor completely crumbled. “He… I had no idea his pain ran  _this deep…”_  Sarah’s knees wobbled and she fell to them, her jaw slack with shock.

“Sarah…” Gunman paled, his eyes bulging as he rolled them towards Sarah’s kneeling form. “Did… did  _I_ cause this? Was it all really me?”

“Gunman…” Sarah whispered, her eyes watering.

He took a few paces back “I… I did not think I was really hurting him this much…! I…!” Gunman stared in horror at his own hands. “What have I  _done?!”_

“Gunman,” Sarah pushed herself to her feet and weakly extended her hand.

“No! S-Sarah… What if I hurt you too?! I don't… I can't…!” Gunman backed into a fallen sheet of paper and almost slipped. She caught his hand as it fluttered away.

“Gunman, this wasn’t all you. It was this  _place.”_  Sarah’s voice hardened angrily. “All of it. It was this life of fear and panic, of losing everyone he cared about when he had already lost his memories and who he was. This… This  _bastard_  of a mastermind is to blame for  _everything!”_

“But I… I was the one who pushed him away from my seester! The mastermind did not do that!”

“Maybe you did do that, but did that stop Steve from loving Cactus Girl? No! That was the least of his pains. At least while you did that, he didn’t lose who he was…” Sarah’s voice cracked and she rubbed her eyes with her free hand. “Your sister didn’t die because of what you did. Your sister died because of this place. Because Monoputa and that damned mastermind got inside her head. It was your sister’s death that… that pushed Steve over the edge.”

Sarah realized she might not have worded it too delicately, because Gunman began to choke back tears.

“The mastermind… is probably laughing at me…” Gunman swiped a tear away from his eye. “Laughing at all of us. These last cases… they must be connected. Just meant to make us feel so… awful, to scare us, to make us do what Evita did…”

“You’re completely right…” Sarah choked back a sob too. “We can’t let the mastermind do this to us. We just can’t. We have to figure this out, for Steve  _and_  for Evita.”

Gunman couldn’t help cracking a smile when he heard Sarah use his sister’s real name, and she cracked a feeble one right back. They would need to rely on each other for strength.

Sarah finally let go of Gunman’s hand and met his eyes. They nodded at one another with determination and separated.

Wandering around the room, she gawked at the contents. She still couldn’t believe the state! She subconsciously found herself fixing or correcting items on Steve’s desk, as if that would somehow make things better. Thankfully, there were no blood spatters in sight, though knowing all of his issues were restricted to mind was hardly a condolence either.

She picked up a book laying flat on Steve’s desk as part of her robotic repair routine, and almost let out a yelp as the front and back covers came clashing together. Curious, Sarah turned the book around: A fairy tale, starring a brave knight who rescues a dainty princess from her tower in a dragon’s keep.  _I think I remember seeing this in the library… But wasn’t it much thicker?_  She peeled back the cover. Stubs of torn pages; not a single one was left. All of them had been violently ripped out with only jagged fragments remaining.

_Steve… no…_ Was he angry at the contents of the book? That he couldn’t save Evita like that knight could? Or did he just need some way to release his anger? But the book choice just seemed too convenient… And where were the pages?

A lightbulb sparked. Spinning on her heels, Sarah walked forward with an idea she did not like now clinging to her brain. She frantically searched for her target.  _Crackle._  Knowing she had struck gold, she drooped her head, her eyes scanning on the paper beneath her foot. This definitely seemed like the heroic fable she was looking for. With a smirk, she noted the cowboy boot foot impression beside her own.  _Perhaps the two of us aren’t so different, like how Steve and Evita weren’t._

_Wait a second…_  Sarah narrowed her eyes and bent down to pick it up. Darker, wetter patches seemed to be pushing through from the other side of the page. She turned it over and her breath became lodged in her throat. She trembled.

“Sarah?” Rustling Gunman’s sharp ears lead him over. He peered at the sheet.

_SAVE SARAH_

The black ink bore into her eyes, giant, capitalised and written diagonally across the page.

“Wh-what?” Sarah whispered.

Hastily, she grabbed another.

_I MUST PROTECT US_

Another sheet.

_SAVE HER_

Everywhere. Scrawls of paper with the same phrases, some messier, more crazed than others. She had to stop. She couldn’t look anymore. Her breathing heavy, she met Gunman’s eyes, and gulped.

“Maybe I pushed him too,” she whispered faintly.

“Perhaps, Sarah,” Gunman gently removed the sheets from her hand, a bead of sweat rolling down his forehead as he placed them in his evidence bag. “Or… were you the one keeping him sane?”

 

_GHS_

 

“Hey hey hey, are you read-AY?! It’s time for another finger licking, despair bringing triiial~!” Sarah jumped as Monoputa boomed over the intercom. “Now I  _know_  there are a lot of floors now, and since there was  _no_  motive this time around, I’ll be a bit more patient with your arrival to the elevator. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t kick your asses into gear! Move it or lose it folks, despair’s a-waitin’!”

Sarah sighed, placing the book cover in her evidence bag. What could it all mean? Did any of this - the shovel, the tooth, these pages - link with a killer? What if they were on the complete wrong track?

“I… do not think there is anything here we have not seen regardless,” Gunman murmured. “We should go.”

“Okay,” Sarah consented, rising to her feet. By the time she was up, Gunman had already opened the door for her, of course.

“After you,” he gestured gallantly.

Smiling, she did as he was told. His kindness never lost its sweetness.

Sarah’s face fell as the door shut. No one but that monster Monoputa could lock it now. It would probably be shut like all the others once this trial was over.  _And we may not even live to see that. I suppose it’s the lesser of the two evils._

“Sarah… Do you hear that?” Gunman squeezed his eyes and craned his neck closer to the alleged sound.

Sarah furrowed her brow in confusion and silenced her mind. There! At the edge her hearing, she caught a muffled, angry voice coming from a nearby room.

Gunman caught her eye and motioned for her to follow as he tiptoed around the corner, to where the noise seemed to be coming. Her footsteps as delicate as a butterfly’s, Sarah was extra careful not to cause any unwanted clamour that could perhaps distract the ranter within. He led her to the spot between James and Roulette Boy’s old rooms, directly across from the room with the commotion.

Sarah felt her stomach twist uncomfortably as she located the little pixel icon on the door and matched it with the voice she heard. How could she have forgotten? And more importantly, who were they talking to?

“I… I will knock,” Gunman took a few steps forward, visibly shaking.

Sarah shook her head in a mix of dismay and amusement, quickening her pace and overtaking Gunman. She’d be lying if she said she wasn’t nervous, but Gunman seemed less comfortable with this than she was - he’d probably take an age to do it.

The floor seemed to stretch out in front of her as she took her baby steps. She outstretched her arm as much as she dared.  _Just a few more steps…_

_BANG!_

The door shot open before her and Sarah recoiled so tremendously that she flailed and fell back on her hip. As Gunman dove to her side, she looked up to see a peeved Angel Dog who was glaring…upwards?

“Ugh, now look what you’ve done, you’ve wasted all of our time!  _Both_  of our time!” Angel Dog wagged an angry finger at herself before spinning around and locking her door. “I  _hope_  you’re proud of yourself.”

She started to flutter away, not even noticing the two figures crumpled just beneath her floating feet.

“Angel Dog?” Sarah called out cautiously.

The canine froze, turning stiff for a second and almost dropping her wand. “O-oh…”

Their gazes raked each other for a few fleeting moments. It seemed no one quite knew what to say to fallen girl and her cactus or the self-loathing dog.

Angel Dog let out an exasperated cry, heaving her shoulders down and shooting down the hall. “Did you see that?! Now  _they_  want to know too! You will  _tell me_  what happened or I swear it WON’T BE PRETTY!”

“Wh…” Sarah watched her go, then looked at Gunman, and back down the hall. “W-wait, Angel Dog!” She cried, scrambling to her feet. “Come back!”

“Wait, Sarah!” Gunman shouted suddenly, stopping her in her tracks. “We will see what’s happening with her at the trial! If we delay things further, who knows what Monoputa might do!”

“You’re right…” Sarah sighed, shaking her head. Even in Monoputa’s strangely generous mood, she knew he had his limits. She couldn’t help but wonder, though, what could make Angel Dog lose her cool like this?

Her stomach filled with butterflies, wings as sharp as blades. Sarah shook as she walked towards the elevator, Gunman trodding behind her.

Angel Dog had arrived before those two got there, her arms folded and her normally pristine fur matted with sweat.

“ _There_  you are!” Catherine sighed with relief when she arrived and saw Angel Dog flying by the door. “I was worried sick about you!”

“…yeah, me too,” Hell’s Chef added from his place a few paces behind Catherine, his eyes flicking away.

Angel Dog remained tight lipped and silent, but her brow furrowed a bit.

_I wonder if she’s happy that she was missed…_  Sarah thought, feeling a twinge in her heart.

As soon as Gregory and Clock Master joined the group in front of the elevator, drinks in hand, Monoputa came leaping out of nowhere in his usual flamboyant way.

“Such a small group, it’s so sad!” Monoputa didn’t look sad at all; he still had his enormous grin from earlier. “And it’s going to be even smaller when this trial’s over! I wonder… will we have six people when this is over…” His grin grew larger. “…or just one?”

Monoputa’s last three words sent a chill down Sarah’s spine. The evidence was sparse, as always, but… could they do it again? Were the last trials a complete fluke?

_Don’t let him get inside your head, Sarah,_  Sarah mustered up a glare and directed it at Monoputa, who pouted dramatically.  _You’ll do it again this time. For Steve._

The group stepped into the elevator, completely silent, apart from Monoputa giggling.

“I’ll see you idiots on the other side!” Giving a tiny little salute, Monoputa grinned as the doors of the elevator slammed shut. With a creak, the elevator began to descend into the trial room.

_Will this be the last one? Will we get out of here after this? Will we all die?_

_Which one of our friends will be lost next?_

Swallowing an enormous lump in her throat, Sarah tilted her chin in the air in hopes of giving herself the slightest bit of confidence.

Yet again, it was time to teeter on the line between life and death. Between hope and despair.


	28. Teeth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Brand new chapter, the start of the trial! Amazing art this time by shortlifelongart, big thanks and compliments to her! <3_   
>  _I hope you guys enjoy it! Sorry to keep you waiting. You’ll be happy to know that the second part of this trial is well on the way to completion!_   
>  _Also, we’re almost at 30 chapters. That. Is. Nuts! Thanks for sticking with us for this long, guys. Let Ven and I know what you think of this chapter~_

Tumbling in a wave of worry and doubt with a flicker of hope, Sarah lost the moments before everyone took their assigned places in the trial room.  Her heart sank when she noticed there were more portraits than people present.  She remembered the clamor of the first trial; everyone talking over each other, arguing, trying to defend themselves…

_And each other…_ Sarah swallowed as she recalled Gold’s desperate begging for Judgement Boy’s life.   _All of you deserved better._

This time, Sarah saw the trial room had been painted with a mural of train tracks,  a grandiose train wrapping around Sarah’s side of the room. Behind it, the night sky encapsulated the desolate scene, leaving the train to wander fruitlessly in its endless loop. Close to her, in gold lettering on the train, was the words _Iwata’s Ambition._

_Weird decor, as always…_ Sarah sighed.  She gave up on trying to discern what it all meant.  Surely it was just Monoputa trying to distract everyone from the matter at hand or shove another medium of despair down their throats.

She looked around the room to see any signs of guilt in her friends.  As much as she hated to do it, it had to be done.  It was one of them that killed Steve, no one else…

Gunman was wringing his hands, his lower lip trembling.  Catherine was leaning over and looking at Angel Dog with concern in her eyes. Angel Dog was fiddling with her hair, her gaze nervously darting around the room.  Hell’s Chef, separated from Angel Dog by two portraits, was tapping his fingers on his podium, impatient for the trial to start.  Gregory and Clock Master were talking in hushed whispers off in their isolated area of the courtroom, no doubt already pointing fingers at possible suspects. _Probably Gunman, given their history…_

“All right, is everyone ready?” Monoputa scrambled up onto his throne and posed on it, flicking his veil.  “It’s time for another trial of life and death!  You all know the rules, so I’ll cut right to the chase!”

Monoputa gestured, and the room darkened, a spotlight falling on Steve’s new, X’d out portrait.  “Steve bit it!  He got gutted!  Eviscerated! Bleeded!  And he _lived_ through all that, his life ended with a slash to the jugular!” Monoputa mimed slicing his own neck as the spotlight faded away and the courtroom reilluminated.

_At least he’s safe with Death now,_ Sarah consoled herself, biting her lip. _He… is safe, right?_

“So now you know what a _horrid_ and _ghastly_ beast the killer is, and how they dunnit, get to work! Use those itty bitty brains for yours and go go go!” Monoputa fist pumped with glee before taking his seat. He was bouncing with excitement. _Sick._

Catherine jumped right into it.  “Let’s start with the body’s condition when we found it.”

“Monoputa already covered some of that,” Sarah was surprised the ball of malice said something so useful. She counted on her fingers. “He was disemboweled, had a cut jugular… I remember Catherine mentioning he was just battered all over and had a large bruise too. On top of that… Steve was bitten. Hard.”

“Bitten?” Gunman leaned forward, hands on his podium, as though his cactus-ears had deceived him.

Angel Dog lowered her head and squeezed her eyes tight, grasping her elbows. “Ohh… That’s just… _H-horrible.”_

Sarah saw Catherine’s face fall with concern. Further down the line of survivors, Hell’s Chef stared at Angel Dog with some stunted form of compassion. _If Steve could see him now…_

“Grrr…” Chef began to glare and drew his cleaver, brandishing it to the courtroom. “WHOEVER DID THIS!! I’LL CUT THEM!”

Sarah winced.   _Never mind._

“Chef…” Angel Dog worriedly placed a hand on his shoulder.

Gregory folded his arms in thought. “Biting certainly wasn’t the smartest of ideas. It’s possible to trace it back to the killer.” He tapped his front teeth.

“And this time we _know_ it’s not a love bite,” Clock Master chortled to himself despite it all.

_"HEY!_ Do _not_ disrespect my seester like that, señor,” Gunman jabbed a forceful finger at him across the courtroom.

“Stop bickering, you two. And Gregory,” Catherine said sternly, “some of us have similar dental profiles. Fortunately this bite is unique. Sarah?”

Sarah nodded and opened her evidence bag, pulling out one large, pointed tooth. “We found this at the scene. Steve still had all of his teeth, so…”

“…It’s the killer’s tooth! Quick! Who does it belong to?” Gregory ushered her.

“Well, I figured it was a canine, or it came from a mouth full of sharp teeth…” Sarah opened her mouth and flashed the court her canines.  “Obviously, I have all of mine.”

It was Gregory’s turn to grin.  “I might be old, but I still have all my teeth!”

Clock Master opened his mouth, pulling down his thick lips so all of his teeth were visible.  His teeth were yellow and eroded, no doubt from all the drinking he did. He had a few missing teeth, but his canines were still intact.   _And there was no way any of the teeth he lost were this pointy…_

Cactus Gunman still had a mouth full of surprisingly humanlike teeth, and Catherine showed the court her peglike lizard teeth once again.

“Chef?” Catherine looked at him expectantly.

Hell’s Chef let out an enormous sigh and unbuttoned his collar.

Unlike the rest of his body, Hell’s Chef’s face was black as ink, his features barely visible.  He opened his collar and his mouth, revealing that it was wide and cavernous with two sharklike sets of sharp teeth.

Sarah felt her heart stop, but it resumed beating when she realized that none of his teeth were missing.

“Hmm,” Catherine squinted and gestured for Chef that it was okay to button up.

Hell’s Chef grunted and quickly covered his face again.

“Angel Dog?” Catherine gestured to the fretting canine.

“I have all my teeth, but…” Angel Dog opened her mouth for Catherine.  Catherine nodded, and Angel Dog shut it again.  “… I’m… I’m not sure about…”

“Devil Dog?” Sarah blinked in bewilderment.

“Do they even have different teeth…?” She heard Gunman whisper.

“Mmm…” Angel Dog shuddered.  “She… she hasn’t come out in a long while.  And she won’t talk to me.”

“So _she_ did it!” Gregory jabbed a finger at the feeble canine. “I _knew_ it! I knew she was bad news! It was only a matter of time!”

“STOP! YOU DON’T KNOW THAT!” Chef roared.

Gregory looked dumbfounded. “What?! How can you deny it? No one else has lost a tooth! It has to be her!”

“She will not DIE!” The cook’s eyes ignited into a fiery intensity that would wither the strongest of opponents.

“Gwah!” Gregory shrieked, flattening his ears and hiding under his hands.

“Pursuing this discussion may not be the best of ideas, Gregory,” Clock Master warned.

Catherine sighed. “Honestly Chef, we have to put our feelings aside for this case, no matter how difficult that is.”

Chef grunted and slouched, tightly folding his arms. His eyes were narrowed to little red slits.

“I don’t want to lie to you guys…” Angel Dog sniffled a bit.  “B-but… Devil Dog completely took over our body last night.  When she’s in control, I can barely tell what she’s doing, it’s like I’m in a dreamless sleep. All I get is… feelings.” She bunched up her dress in her hands.  “She was… “ Angel Dog swallowed.  “… she was doing something strenuous.  I could tell that much. I… I didn’t think it was too peculiar at the time. She’s always pulling mischief. But when I woke up…” She covered her face, leaving only her snout free. “Oh, I didn’t think it would be so horrible!”

“Well… It seems like we have a confession!” Clock Master said, stunned.

Gregory gave a satisfied nod. “Your days of threatening people are over, mutt.”

“Hold on,” Sarah frowned. “Doing something strenuous doesn’t mean murder. We can’t jump to conclusions just yet; we’ve hardly examined Steve’s condition. Was anyone with Devil Dog last night?”

Blank faces met blank faces. In the questioning silence, Sarah heard muffled giggling which was suddenly joined by loud thumps. Monoputa, wracked with suppressed laughter and ready to burst, smashing his fist on the arm of his throne. He kicked his tiny legs feverishly, like a professional freestyle swimmer.

“WHAT is so FUNNY?!” Hell’s Chef demanded.

“Oh that’s my girl,” The prompter wiped a tear from his eye. “Confusing the hell outta everyone. It’s just so… so… FWAHAHAHAA!”

Dios mio…” Gunman sighed and Angel Dog made a dog-like whine.

“Oh _get_ a _grip,_ Monoputa.” The tip of Catherine’s mouth twinged irritably. “The point of the trial is that we figure this out.”

“I’ll… keep working on trying to get her to come out…” Angel Dog shut her eyes tightly.  “Please… figure out what happened to Steve, first of all.”

“Well as long as you hold up your end of the bargain, we’ll do our best.” Clock Master’s eyes held a twinge of suspicion as he fiddled with his moustache. Deep down, however, he pitied her discomfort. She was not responsible for her sister’s actions, after all, but she would likely end up paying for them too.

“Of course. But if you ask me, I think it is very obvious what happened to him.” Cactus Gunman said without a hint of smugness.

“Hmm?” Hell’s Chef looked at him coldly, emanating disbelief.

“Yes,” Gunman frowned. “Steve must have gone to the kitchen for a snack from the fridge in the middle of the night. Then, our killer attacked him. A man caught off-guard and weaponless can never put up a fight. So our killer hurt and disemboweled him and finished by slashing the poor senor’s throat. And he did it with this.”

Gunman reached for his evidence bag. The onlookers were baffled as he pulled a out a large, gleaming shovel, longer than its container.

“A shovel?” Clock Master questioned.

Catherine shook her head.  “Gunman, you can’t slice a throat, much less a stomach, open with a shovel.  The blade may be a little pointed, but that is a blunt weapon.”

“There’s blood on the blade!” Gunman wasn’t about to let this lead go to waste.

“How peculiar…” Gregory tilted his head, his lips widening into a smirk.  “You weren’t the only one who found a bloodied weapon.”

“Huh?” Gunman blinked at Gregory like a deer in headlights as Gregory reached into his evidence bag.

Gregory pulled out a butcher’s knife, gleaming with an intimidating luster.  “It must have been cleaned, but it was obviously a rush job.” Gregory moved his finger across the dull side of the blade.  “If you look carefully, you’ll see there are still a few flecks of blood. With a kill that messy… you’d need to take your _time_ cleaning your weapon.”

Sarah couldn’t say she was surprised as she came to the realisation that Gregory sounded like he was advising the killer.

“This makes no sense!” Cactus Gunman squeezed the hilt of the shovel.  “These… these were both used, there is no doubt!  And the killer would have to go out of the way to get this shovel…”

“Did they… use both?” Hell’s Chef’s eyes flashed. “Maybe… they really hated Steve.”

Angel Dog made a squeaking noise and knocked herself in the side of the head.  Sarah bit her lip as she observed that pathetic display.   _Poor thing.  I hope she’ll be okay…_

“Why would they use both?” Catherine huffed. “You’d need some serious coordination to be able to do that, plus you wouldn’t be able to use all the force of that blunt shovel if you weren’t using two hands to wield it.”

Gregory shot her a suspicious glance and Catherine held up her hands.  “Hey, I’ve seen a lot of injuries in my time!  I know a thing or two about weapons!” she defended, folding her arms across her chest and mumbling: “Unfortunately…”

“I guess that’s out of the question,” Sarah mused. “I think the knife is the murder weapon. Think about it; Steve’s injuries couldn’t have been made with a shovel.”

“Wh-what about the bruise on his back?” Cactus Gunman cut in.  “The shovel could have been used to incapacitate him!”

“That wasn’t from the shovel,” Catherine shook her head.  “The bruise is too big for that.  Steve was obviously knocked backwards against the fridge.”

Hell’s Chef growled under his breath, no doubt thinking of all of the ruined food in the fridge.

Clock Master scratched his head. “Right, so… This shovel, what role did it play?”

“There’s the possibility it’s completely unrelated,” Sarah pointed out. “But it seems too convenient for it to show up so damaged right now.”

“It looks scratched,” Hell’s Chef leaned over his podium to get a better view. “Feh, you’d be a TERRIBLE gardener to do that by accident. I’m better.”

“Then it _had_ to be involved! Hmm… I think I’m right on the money with this one: I say there were two attackers! One used a weapon each!” Clock Master announced confidently.

“I still say that _mutt_ did it; we have her tooth! And wherever she is, we know a certain someone isn’t far behind…” Gregory turned his eye to the grinning prompter. As the angry faces of the courtroom joined him, Monoputa grin just grew wider.

“You mean _me,_ pirate Gregs? Oh, but I’m just the supervisor, I shouldn’t get involved~.” He sang.

_“Shouldn’t,_ but you do.” Sarah said firmly. “‘Helping’ Judgement Boy hide his bloodied cage, making Gunman withhold his evidence, enticing Gregory Mama to murder? You supervise _very_ well.”

“Hmph, I’m hurt, Sarah. Calling me hypocritical? How very scathing.” Monoputa have an over exaggerated pout.

“Grrrr…!” Hell’s Chef pounded his fist on his podium. “We KNOW you KNOW SOMETHING! Spit it out!!”

“Mmmmm… alright. But only so you’ll move on!” Monoputa frowned. “And to get the story straight, murdering you lot without direct attack on me isn’t in my ability list. The boss says that would ruin ‘our little game’ and I have to agree.”

“Then the tooth…?” Angel Dog piped up.

“Just getting to that, Sugar Plum Fairy. I _do_ know where Devil Dog was last night~. She was with me the whoooole time!” Monoputa hollered.

“What?!” Gregory cried.

“Yep! In other words, she wasn’t in the kitchen, doofuses! That tooth ain’t hers!” Monoputa laughed wildly.

“Then… what were you doing?” Angel Dog quivered.

“There are no children here anymore, heh. You can give the full disclosure.” Clock Master said quietly.

“Weeeeell, since you asked~!” Monoputa waggled his eyebrows. Sarah began to feel immense regret.  “She was in her room.  I paid her a little visit in the night, and we had a little… “ Monoputa smirked.  “…rendezvous!”

Angel Dog gasped.

“Rendezvous?!” Cactus Gunman squeaked.

“Oh, that’s French for ‘we had sex,’” Monoputa rested his hands on his cheeks and kicked his legs.  “Best. Night. Of. My. LIFE!”

“No way!” Angel Dog had gone pale.  “D-Devil Dog always had bad judgement, but she’d never sleep with you!”

Monoputa waggled his eyebrows again. “We weren’t doing a whole lot of sleeping, if you catch my-”

_"_ _ENOUGH!!!!”_ a very, very red faced Hell’s Chef roared.

“How _dare_ you…” Catherine hissed at Monoputa.  “You’re _disgusting!”_

“Hey, everything Devil Dog and I did was completely consensual!” Monoputa held up his hands.  “What kind of sick little monster do you take me for?!  I have _standards!”_

“Hmm…” Gregory stroked his chin.  “I’m not buying this story, as _interesting_ as it is to think about…”

“Hey, yeah!” Clock Master slammed his fist into his open palm.  “If Devil Dog is the culprit, Monoputa would try to throw a wrench in us discovering her!”

“Heh?” Monoputa’s smirk fell.

“Clock Master’s right!” Sarah felt the gears turning in her brain.  “Monoputa has made his soft spot for Devil Dog no secret.  Helping her get away with murder would mean that she survives…” A shudder racked through her body as she realized another possibility.  “And… no doubt, she’d help Monoputa put another group through Hell.  Maybe more…”

Monoputa went very quiet, folding his tiny little hands under his chin and pursing his lips.

“No comment, huh?” Sarah smirked at Monoputa. “We’re onto you.”

Monoputa responded by squinting and sticking his tongue out at Sarah.

“Gyaaaah, I can’t stand this!” Angel Dog sniffled, her eyes glimmering with unshed tears.  “She’s not talking to me, she won’t come out, she’s making this hard for us on purpose!” Angel Dog sobbed.  “I-I’d rather die than let her do all of those horrible things!  I-I’d give up my life for all of yours in a heartbeat!  I d-don’t deserve to live when I have su-such an awful woman sharing my body!!”

“Angel Dog, please don’t jump to conclusions, you deserve to live as much as the rest of us,” Catherine’s voice was soothing, even in such a dire situation.  Sarah felt a burst of admiration welling in her chest.  “Let’s discuss what happened to Steve instead.  That’s still a mystery.”

Angel Dog swallowed a lump in her throat and wiped her eyes on her furry arm.  She let out a long, drawn-out sigh and turned her gaze to Catherine.  “You’re right… everyone, do your best…”

Her shoulders slumped and she began playing with the hem of her dress, obviously still trying to fight off tears.  Sarah could tell Angel Dog wasn’t going to be much help in this mystery, but she couldn’t really fault her.  Sarah could only imagine how awful she would feel if she was in Angel Dog’s position.

“Steve obviously struggled quite a bit, with all those bruises and wounds. Those scratches on the hilt of the shovel are making me wonder…” Catherine scratched her head.  “… could he have defended himself with the shovel?”

“Hey, what happened to my group killer theory?” Clock Master bunched his fists. “We agreed Monoputa would lie to protect Devil Dog; it’s possible those two worked together for their sick desires…”

“How do you supposed those scratches got on the shovel’s hilt then? Nails? I’d like to see human nails that cut that finely.” Catherine retorted.

“You’re on to something, Catherine!” Sarah gasped. “But… that would mean the shovel was in the kitchen from the start…”

“Steve… was acting strange for a while…” Hell’s Chef murmured.  “He could have brought it with him.”

“The jittery fellow always did see himself as a weak target. After his girlfriend died, he was most likely more on edge than ever.” Clock Master sniffed. “He probably took it for protection.”

“I… think you’re all forgetting how much losing Cactus Girl changed him…” Angel Dog said, her voice just louder than a whisper. “Remember how he talked back to Monoputa that time he revealed the last floor?”

_“Can you stop fucking around?” Steve asked boldly, his voice strong and proud. Sarah jumped a bit at his coarse language. “We know, there’s a new floor. Do you have anything important to say, or can you leave us all alone?”_

“He did turn rather _aggressive._ Perhaps he changed more than we thought. A lot more…” Gregory mused.

“You mean to say, _he_ provoked the killer?! _He_ was the one who attacked first?!” Cactus Gunman gripped the brim of his hatch, his voice shaky from the talk of his sister.

“Steve would _never_ do something like that,” Sarah felt her chest tighten at the memory of her once-meek friend.

“Love makes fools of us all,” Clock Master nodded sagely. “With that shovel, they raise a strong point. That wild girl meant much to him.”

Sarah glanced quickly at Cactus Gunman, whose tear streaked face contorted into rage. Despite his cruel words, she considered this.

“Steve… left a bunch of notes in his room. About wanting to save us… Me and him. Gunman saw them too. I… I talked to Steve a lot after the last trial. He said he saw everyone else, all of you, as threats. At the very least, Steve would be suspicious of his killer. Maybe he saw one of their comments as a veiled threat and…” Sarah couldn’t go on. She couldn’t talk about him like this. It wasn’t right.

“Provided the killer isn’t _you_ , my dear,” Gregory leaned skeptically towards her.

“I was the only person Steve trusted.” The corner of Sarah’s mouth twinged. “He wouldn’t bring a shovel if I was the one meeting him.”

Gregory made a scoffing-like noise of disbelief. She shook her head then looked submissively at Clock Master. “I… think you’re right on this one, Clock Master.”

“Haha!” The old clock puffed out his chest like a confident rooster, a grin crossing his face.

_What’s he so jolly about?_ Sarah felt the numb urge to slug him in the face, but that definitely wouldn’t help things.

“So, Steve attacked his killer with the shovel…” Gregory was smirking, which honestly didn’t surprise Sarah.  “He must have knocked out one of their teeth. The poor killer must have only wanted to defend themselves.  My, my…”

“If it was self-defense, they wouldn’t have made so many cuts on the shovel’s hilt, which were obviously from Steve protecting himself. They wouldn’t have sliced Steve open like that either,” Catherine stated flatly.  “No one is that sadistic.”

“Mmm,” Hell’s Chef nodded in agreement.  “Then maybe… the two of them had the same idea.”

“Like… the two of them arranged a simple meeting and they _both_ tried to kill each other?” Angel Dog squeaked.

“It’s possible that both of them thought the other would try to kill them, so they thought they’d get the upper hand.” Gregory snickered a bit.  “… and their paranoia made that fear true.  Too bad, so sad.”

“…Maybe Steve _wanted_ to fight with his target, or he wanted to get the jump on them. Maybe he wasn’t provoked…” Talking about Steve having violent intentions seemed to foreign to Sarah, she felt like her words weren’t her own. “But whoever they were… they completely turned on Steve and… did that.”

“They must have had a huge fight!” Clock Master jumped in, prompting another whine from Angel Dog.  “Steve’s killer could have been lost in the heat and panic of the moment, and…” Clock Master mimed cutting across his stomach with a finger. “… you know.”

“If there was a big fight, then one of us would be obviously wounded,” Catherine cut in.

“Steve was small,” Hell’s Chef scoffed, looking at the physical condition of his peers.  “It’s no wonder he didn’t even hurt whoever he wanted to kill.”

“But he _did,”_ Sarah held the tooth up.  “If Devil Dog _was_ the one who killed Steve, she’d have a swollen lip from being hit in the face.  Since Angel Dog completely changes appearance when Devil Dog takes over, it makes sense that Devil Dog would be hiding…”

“I can’t _believe_ her…” Angel Dog looked down at her feet.

“It _must_ have been her!” Cactus Gunman gasped.  “There is no way it could have been anyone else!”

“Hmmmmph,” Monoputa looked dour, his arms folded tightly over his chest.

“You should know by now, Monoputa, you can’t hide the truth from us,” Gregory smirked at Monoputa.  “Even with tantalizingly scandalous lies.”

“Gregory, _please,”_ Catherine punctuated her scolding with a noise of disgust.

“That… that must be it…” Angel Dog squeezed her eyes shut.  “Monoputa, start the vote.  I-I don’t mind paying for her crimes, if it means all of you will be safe…”

 “Angel Dog…” Catherine’s voice was heavy.

_She’s so strong…_ Sarah choked back tears.   _I wish I was half as brave as she is._

“If you insist…” Monoputa scrubbed at his eyes before hovering his hand over the button to open up the voting panel.

**_“NO!”_** someone screamed out.   ** _“SHE’S NOT GUILTY!”_**

“Wha?!” Angel Dog looked up, her eyes wide.

Sarah looked over to the source of the voice and gasped when she saw who it was… and what they had revealed.

_There’s… there’s no way…_

**_There’s no way!_ **


	29. Six Remain

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Happy Easter! Have some DEATH._   
>  _The chapter this time was a labor of love and I can safely say it is one of the best chapters Ven and I have ever written! I hope you guys like it~_   
>  _Amazing illustrations this time by bebeuru, shortlifelongart, classycloudcuckoolanderclasso, purrprince, and disgustiphage!! Send them thank yous and compliments!_   
>  _Without further delay, here’s the chapter! Enjoy it!_

_Teeth?! Teeth?!  So so so many teeth…!_

Even Sarah’s brain was spluttering in disbelief. Her eyes were glued on a long black void, the sides lined with sharp fangs.  As the void extended into nothingness, extra teeth poked out of the tar-like flesh like shards of broken glass.

Sarah was utterly terrified by this toothy abyss. It took her what seemed like hours to realize that one of the teeth that lined the side of this mockery of a mouth was missing.  All that remained was huge hole splattered with specks of dried blood.

“I won’t let you convict Angel Dog,” the figure whispered. “It’s my tooth.”

Sarah gulped. She pointed a shaky finger and stuttered: “Th-there’s…You have…”

Gregory cut her off, trying to form a coherent sentence in vain before falling into confused splutters.

“YOU HAVE A SECOND MOUTH?!” Cactus Gunman screamed. He stumbled back, gripping onto his podium fiercely, knuckles turning white.

Hell’s Chef had opened his shirt, revealing exactly what Gunman had shrieked about.  His second mouth was on his stomach, a vertical cut lined with horrific teeth, like a sideways grimace on an eyeless face.

“No wonder the bite was so low on Steve’s body…” Catherine breathed.  “But… why would you do something so horrific?”

“I DIDN’T MEAN TO!” Hell’s Chef roared, his voice echoing throughout the courtroom.  Sarah winced when she noticed that the mouth on his stomach opened even wider when he yelled, rumbling loudly.

“Chef, please calm down!” Angel Dog pleaded. “N-no one is going to hurt you!”

Monoputa raised his hand.  “I might.”

“Shut _up,_ you disgusting little worm!” Angel Dog glared at him, pointing her wand in his direction.  It sprinkled non-threatening fairy dust all over the floor.

_Is it just my imagination, or did she sound a lot like Devil Dog there?_ Sarah felt her stomach twist at Angel Dog’s sudden hostility, even if it was directed at the one who was imprisoning them, it was still terrifying.

Clock Master, who couldn’t tear his eyes away from the ghastly deformity, built a rumble in his throat as he gained the mental clarity he needed to speak. “…While… I feel inclined to believe you…” He ripped his eyes upward to Chef’s face with the difficulty of peeling a barcode sticker off a book. “How…can you accidentally disembowel _and_ slice the jugular of someone?”

The beginnings of a growl escaped Chef’s throat and he stomped his foot. “YOU DON’T!! UNDERSTAND!!”

Clock Master recoiled. “R-right, well… That _is_ why I inquired.”

“GRRAAAAGHH!” Hell’s Chef grabbed his head, folding in on himself. His second mouth started to froth at the edges. “STOP!!”

“Do as he says!” Angel Dog barked.

“For goodness sake, you mangy dog, we need to question him!” Gregory frowned.

The aggravated canine balled her fists at her sides, visibly displeased. “Is it so wrong that I want to protect Chef from people who are making him uncomfortable? He _said_ he didn’t mean to, if he did at all. He might just be covering for someone!”

“Are you really sympathizing with a _murderer?”_ Gregory leaned forward, squinting and gritting his teeth.

“Everyone deserves a second chance…” Angel Dog said quietly, her words barely a breath.  “Let… let Chef…”

Suddenly, Angel Dog’s head snapped up, her eyes blank. She floated like that for a few moments before being overcome with a puff of smoke, Devil Dog taking her place.

“Oh no…” Cactus Gunman slammed his palm against his forehead.

“Oh YES!” Monoputa hopped to his feet, a grin spreading across his face.

“Why are you showing up _now?”_ Catherine glared at Devil Dog.  “Can’t you just let Angel Dog be?!”

“Pssssh, are you an idiot?” Devil Dog smirked and flipped one of her dark purple ears.  “We _share a body._  If anything, she should leave _me_ alone!”

Sarah bit her lip and found herself looking over at Hell’s Chef.  His head was bowed, his face completely shadowed, and both of his mouths were closed.

_What’s going on in your head, Chef?_ Sarah fretted, digging her nails into the cold wood of her podium.

“Chef is just trying to protect his _mommy,”_ Devil Dog snickered.  “She does share a body with the _murderer,_ after all!” Devil Dog proudly gestured to herself.

“Graagh!” Hell’s Chef roared again, spittle flying out of his face and his chest, his yell rattling the room.  “You’re a LIAR!  Steve knocked out _my_ tooth!”

“Psh, Lil Stevie would never hurt a fly!” Devil Dog rested her paws on her chin, fluttering her eyelashes.  “Chef tore out his own damn tooth to protect Angel Dog! It’s as simple as that!”

Hell’s Chef tore at his hair, growling under his breath, struggling to find the right words.

“S-senorita… y-y-you were responsible for that…” Cactus Gunman swallowed a lump in his throat, his stomach contorting in nausea at the memory of Steve’s body.  “… that… bloodbath?”

Monoputa’s eyes widened and he held up a hand. “Babe, you-”

“Shh!” Devil Dog winked at Monoputa.  “I’m talking.”

Monoputa blinked and sat down, pacified.  Sarah was almost impressed.

“Steve wanted to have a discussion with Angel Dog. I’m _sure_ he wanted to reaffirm that she wasn’t a threat…” Devil Dog’s smirk grew wider.  “She isn’t, but _I_ sure am.”

“I took over Angel Dog right as she picked up a note from Steve that he slid under our door.  I tore it to shreds so Angel Dog wouldn’t know what happened; I can’t _stand_ it when she tries to mess with my plans!” Devil Dog growled.  “Steve was an easy target; not only was he stricken with grief, he was weak, both in body and soul!  I never saw a weaker being in my _life!”_ Devil Dog cackled.  “Roulette Boy and James… they were both stronger than Steve!  I knew snuffing him out would be a piece of cake, and I’d get off scot-free!”

“He did bring the shovel to defend himself, but he didn’t get a single blow in on me!” Devil Dog leaned forward, her smirk widening to terrifying proportions.  “The blood on the tip of the shovel blade was _his!”_

“Chopping him to bits with one of the knives was as easy as slice, slice, slice,” Devil Dog smirked.  “Little bastard never saw it coming.”

“Y-you are heartless!” Cactus Gunman choked.

“I can’t believe Angel Dog has to share a body with someone like _you,”_ Catherine hissed.  “You’re a _horrid_ woman.”

“That’s coming from Little Miss Blood Test?” Devil Dog pointed at her chest where Catherine had stuck her with a needle in the last trial.

“Gluck-!” Catherine choked, her face turning red as the blood she loved to draw.

“Why would you confess?!” Sarah folded her arms, her insides knotting with suspicion.  “You’re going to get executed now!”

“She’s going to die with the rest of you, because _I_ did it!” Hell’s Chef wailed.

“Stop trying to take the fall, ya big baby!” Devil Dog stabbed her pitchfork in Chef’s direction.  “What happened to you being so afraid of dying?!”

“After what I did…” Hell’s Chef gritted both sets of his teeth.  “… I don’t deserve to live… Neither do you.”

“Well life ain’t that simple, bub. You get your sweet sweet mamma and me or nothing,” Devil Dog flashed her wicked canines.

“B-babe, about that-” Monoputa’s eyes were boggling with desperation.

Devil Dog flicked him an irritated smirk. “I said shush it, honey.”

Clock Master sighed. “We have quite a mess on our hands. Don’t suppose you have any ideas, Sarah? …Sarah?”

These thoughts fizzled about in Sarah’s brain like bubbles in a newly opened can of soft drink. Two versions of the story. Whose to believe? A deceptive murder or an accidental attack? There has to be a way…

“So you’re saying Chef planted the tooth to lead us off your trial and save Angel Dog?” Sarah pryed.

“Yeah, genius, did it take ya this long to catch on? Aren’t you supposed to be Nancy Drew or something?” Devil Dog folded her arms.

Hell’s Chef growled. “SHE’S LYING!!”

_There has to be a way. Think of a way…_

“How do you explain the low bite mark?” Sarah frowned.

A proud smile crossed Devil Dog’s lips. “I tend to get a little… animalistic in the heat of the moment.”

“Oh boy, _does she!”_ Monoputa waggled his eyebrows. “But-”

“I said _shut it,_ toots!” Devil Dog barked.

_Where is the way…? Unless…_

“Then why was Chef’s tooth hidden away?” Sarah wasn’t done yet. “If Chef wanted to frame himself, why didn’t he leave it where we can see it?”

“Because I _DID DO IT!”_ Chef roared. “The shovel hit the mouth on my stomach and the tooth went flying!”

“He’s just trying to cover for his ‘mama’!” Devil Dog insisted. “I’m telling ya, he did it to make it look convincing. No murderer would be _that_ stupid to leave it in the open.”

_No… It doesn’t add up… If that’s really what happened, how does that explain my dream?_ She thought back to Steve’s distant voice, begging her to look under the counter. _Steve would want more than anything to get his “evil” killer caught. Why would he lead me to evidence that would point out the person trying to frame himself over the actual killer? Unless Chef…_

“Devil Dog!” Sarah’s eyes flashed. “You’re ly-”

“Wait!”

Monoputa was standing on his throne, his arms out by his sides, commanding everything to halt.

Gregory sighed and muttered. “Oh dear. _Him_ again…”

“Babe, what are you doing?!” Devil Dog hissed. “Sit _down!”_

Monoputa steeled himself. “No.”

_“What?”_ She said sternly.

“I know what you’re doing and I… _can’t.”_ Monoputa gulped.

Devil Dog sneered, but she looked rattled. “What are you _talking_ about?”

“I know last night I _said_ I would and could do anything for you but… But babe, if you don’t stop this right now, the boss’ll have _both_ our heads!” The prompter’s desperation seemed palpable, even to Sarah. “I won’t let it happen! Even for that dream!”

Gregory’s ears pricked. “Last night…?”

“Wait, that… that little gremlin was telling the _truth?”_ Gunman blabbered. “Wh-what dream is this?!”

“You… lied to me?!” Devil Dog roared.

Monoputa began to sweat a waterfall. “B-babe-”

“Sure I didn’t kill anyone in time, but can you blame me if it happened _while_ we set the goal in the first place?! I took advantage of the _damn_ situation and you said you’d do anything! You lying runt!!” Devil Dog screamed as imaginary steam poured out of her ears. “You’ve-You’ve ruined-”

Suddenly, she barked ferociously like a monstrous beast, snarling and howling. She dropped to all fours and began to leap over her podium, making a beeline for the phenomenally terrified promper.

Gunman shrieked and as quick as a dart, grabbed the dog’s waist, suspending her over the front of the podium. “D-Devil Dog! Please, calm down! Angel Dog!!”

Devil Dog’s face began to contort and she vanished in a cloud of smoke. It stayed suspended there for longer than normal as a boggling-eyed Cactus Gunman had his arms looped around its outskirts and in seconds a very confused Angel Dog was in its place.

“Um…” She whispered. “I felt Devil Dog was losing her mind and I thought you were in danger. What happened here?”

Gunman was stunned into silence and slowly helped her back to her place. She brushed his fretting arms aside once balanced and he stared at his hand for the longest time. Sarah quickly wondered what it was like to hold onto a transforming dog.

_“I’d_ like to know that too. Monoputa, what _was_ all that?!” Clock Master demanded.

The prompter panted and shook. “Uh… Hold on there beer boy, I need a breather. Not everyday your girlfriend tries to kill you…” He laughed uncomfortably. “Oh she is so dumping me…”

Sarah’s mouth twinged irritably. _This is no time for his theatrics, we need answers!_

“Alright, I _gueeess_ I should tell you what’s going on. Or not.” Monoputa laughed devilishly.

“Monoputa!” Hell’s Chef stomped his foot.

“Fine, fine! Geez… Sooooo… last night, you know, at the little _rendezvous?_ Devil Dog and I…” He sighed in a heavenly manner. “…Oh we had a dream~. If Devil Dog could successfully murder, she and I could be together for good, and the boss would be ultra happy at all this despair! Heck, maybe we could put another group through Hell together! But then Stevie had to go and kick it, that brat. My girl figured if she could convince you it was her, I could skew the results and we could do it anyway. But boss’d never have that…”

“So it _wasn’t_ Devil Dog…” Gregory balled his fists. “To think I fell for her tricks! She almost had me killed!”

“But if it’s not her then…” Angel Dog looked to Hell’s Chef, alone, head bowed and surrounded by dead portraits.

“Mmm…” He mumbled.

Clock Master narrowed his eyes. “There’s no tricks to this, is there, Chef? Let’s hear your side of things.”

Hell’s Chef sighed.  “That’s… hard.  I barely remember killing Steve.”

“How do you not remember… dismembering someone?!” Gregory looked aghast, an expression that Sarah was not used to seeing on his face.

“It’s COMPLICATED!” Hell’s Chef roared.

“Chef, take a deep breath, please…” Angel Dog’s voice was wavering a bit.  “Please, tell us what happened…”

Hell’s Chef took her advice threefold, inhaling and exhaling, trying to regain his composure.  “Let me… start at the beginning…”

“I was… in the kitchen, at night, I was going over everything and making sure no one stole from me again.  Steve didn’t try to meet with me, he just… showed up behind me.  Out of nowhere, gripping that… that shovel!  He tried to put out my flame with it!  He moved it up and down, making wind… but it wasn’t enough to put my wick out.”

Subconsciously, Hell’s Chef moved a finger up to his flame, a bit of wax melting off of his fingertip.  “I… panicked.  Or I got mad. I’m not sure.  But the knife I usually use… I didn’t want to use it, because everyone would know it was me.  I remember thinking that before everything… goes away.  I grabbed a smaller knife from the chopping block, and I just saw… red.  Red, red, red, red!  Everywhere, red…! I was… so ANGRY…!”

“I had never been so angry in my life… or, in this life…” He looked at his hands like he could see it soaked in blood from another lifetime. “It all just… boiled over.  I didn’t want to hurt anyone.  But… it’s hard for me not to.  He should have known, imbecile… Every glare or threat or bit of anger I had felt in this damned hotel - I took all of it out on Steve.  When the red went away… out of my eyes, I saw Steve on the floor, dead, and I felt a big pain in my stomach, from where Steve hit me. I… I didn’t know what to do.  I put him in the fridge.  I didn’t care about the food, not then.  I tried to clean the knife, but… but it was so dirty. No time. I knew I had to hide it.  I knew someone might be able to _smell_ the murder on it…”

“So I went to the storeroom.  It’s… it’s so drafty in there.  I couldn’t go in there without my flame going out.  So, I threw the knife in…”

_“That’s_ why it was stuck in the wall…” The sun rose in Clock Master’s eyes. He pointed at the chef smugly. “Only a chef with your precision could achieve such a feat.”

“After I took care of Steve, I destroyed my bloodstained uniform with my flame, and I changed into my pajamas.”  Hell’s Chef looked up, his eyes drooping.  “I… I don’t know what I expected to happen. All this time, I didn’t want to die, but I lost control so easily…”

_Is he shaking?_ Sarah looked on in shock.  She never expected to see Chef so afraid.

“Who… was I? You… all of you… you deserve to live more than I do.  Steve did too.” Hell’s Chef inhaled sharply.

“Chef, don’t say that!” Angel Dog’s eyes were spilling over with humongous tears.  “You deserve to live, too!  You made a mistake, it’s okay!”

“Angel Dog, he _killed someone,”_ Gregory shook his head in disbelief.

“Well, too bad that’s not how things work around here!” Monoputa cackled.  “Looks like it’s time for the vote.  How quickly the tide turns!”

Monoputa pulled the voting lever and the panel flipped open.

The courtroom filled with a small chorus of beeps as everyone cast their votes.  The familiar monitor came down from the ceiling, and Hell’s Chef’s face appeared on that accursed slot machine, the word GUILTY! flashing in bright neon letters.

“You got it right!  Good for you, all getting to see another day,” Monoputa snorted. “Even with my girl messing things up. I’m almost impressed.   _Almost.”_

“Hold on, before…” Hell’s Chef moved away from his podium and approached Angel Dog, looming over her, his face cast in shadow.

“Chef?” Angel Dog said quietly, her words barely a squeak.

Wordlessly, Hell’s Chef pulled her into an enormous hug, now visibly shaking.

“Chef…!” Angel Dog sobbed, squeezing Hell’s Chef tightly.  “You’re so brave.”

“No… “ Hell’s Chef released Angel Dog from his embrace, looking down at her, his exposed mouth drawing into a small smile. “Angel… you and the others… you’re the bravest of all.  Don’t… don’t die, okay? None of you.”

Sarah felt his familiar attempt at a threat, and somehow, her heart softened a little. And, to her surprise, tears formed in the corners of Hell’s Chef’s eyes and rolled down his cheeks.  The sight of that alone made Sarah get choked up.

“That’s enough of that!”  Monoputa jumped to his feet.  “It’s time for the execution!” Monoputa drew his gavel over his head, keeping it poised above the big red button, ready to slam it down.

“Wait!” Hell’s Chef held up a hand.

“Heh?” Monoputa’s gavel stopped in mid-air.

“There’s no need… for the chain,” Hell’s Chef buttoned up his collar and wiped his eyes.  “I’ll go willingly.”

_“Ugh,”_ Monoputa griped, leaping down from his chair and toddling over to Hell’s Chef.  “How _disgustingly_ noble.”

A pregnant silence fell over the courtroom as Hell’s Chef and Monoputa walked down the long hallway together, no one moving a muscle or making a peep.

Angel Dog finally broke the silence with a sniffle that turned into a loud wail.

“He’s going to die!  He’s going to die, and I couldn’t save him!” Angel Dog sobbed into her paws.

“Shh, shh, shh,” Catherine sidled up to Angel Dog and pulled her her into a gentle hug.  “You’re going to make me cry too…” Catherine’s voice was heavy with sadness.

With Catherine gone from her place, Sarah felt the emptiness surrounding her greater than ever. Eyes shut in agony, she heard little footsteps near her, the sound of boots on wood.

“I hate these executions,” Gunman said, his voice thick with grief.

He had stepped into Catherine’s place. Sarah sniffed and reached to place her hand in his when suddenly the room shook, knocking Gunman off his feet and nearly sending Sarah forward over her podium. The walls around them shimmered, and before everyone knew it, they had been transported to the execution room.

“I can’t look…” Angel Dog wailed, gripping onto Catherine even more tightly.

Sarah felt weak. She knew she should probably tear her eyes away, but she couldn’t. Her knuckles turned white as she gripped the iron railing on the survivors’ balcony up high. She watched in horror as this deadly scene began to unfold right in front of her eyes.

**_SOUP’S ON ME!_ **

In the distance, close enough to make out their actions, Sarah saw Monoputa policing Hell’s Chef forward. He cruelly and unnecessarily jabbed the candle with a roasting fork to nudge him along. Sarah had no doubts. They were walking toward the gargantuan steaming pit of some unknown solution. It had a scarily tantalising aroma.

He reached the edge. Sarah found Gunman’s hand, her eyes like stones, set in place and fixed on Hell’s Chef. She could tell by his eyes; he was smiling proudly.

Hell’s Chef looked back to Monoputa. “It’s one of mine.” The prompter smiled in response and Chef turned his head back to his doom. “Only my recipes smell this good.”

“Well why dontcha get real up close and personal with it?” Monoputa whipped out a remote and pressed a flashing button.

From the shadows a hulking piece of machinery emerged, snatching Hell’s Chef in its claw-like grasp and throwing him mercilessly into the soup.

Deep, pained, blubbering wails jammed into Sarah’s ears, boring into her brain, her memory, her mind. Chef floundered and gasped, wax cascading off his form. Surging through the tides with his shrinking form, he scrabbled at the wall, reaching for the lip of his enclosure, centimetres from his grasp. His desperate effort was visible, throwing soup and wax from his upper mouth in periodic, heaving typhoon forces and eyes bulging from his sockets, ready to pop or roll out with the rest of the wax.

Clock Master walked backwards away from the scene. “I-I can’t…” He hit the wall, but still stared in undisguised, wordless horror.

Gregory by contrast had his ears piqued with interest.

Clasping her hand over her mouth, Sarah tried to formulate words, but it was as though they too had stopped and stared at the melting mass.

Angel Dog screamed, her claws scraping against the metal floor as if she could dig through and reach her friend. “Oh I can’t look! MONOPUTA!! _MO-NO-PU-TAAAA!!”_

“A-a-Angel Dog…!” Catherine vainly tried to pull her up, sounding congested with her own tear streaked face.

With every breath the molten form breathed itself in and splurged itself out. It groaned.

“Ohh, don’t think we’re done yet! This one’s for you, boss!” Monoputa hollered with manic eyes as as he pressed another button on his contraption.

A loud beeping started - the sound you would hear at construction sites. Sarah’s jaw dropped as a giant mixer flowed in on endless wheels. Monoputa whooped as he pressed another button, lowering the mixer into the serum. It made a thudding smash.

Hell’s Chef took a deep breath.

“Chef! _No!”_ Angel Dog’s anguish echoed.

A mixture of excitement and malice pushed that last button, and a mesh of wax and pain was blended into oblivion, breathing its last watery gulps before its lungs were eradicated.

Angel Dog howled and tears and mucus rinsed down her face. Catherine hoisted her weak form to eye-level and called to her. Angel Dog writhed before collapsing onto Catherine’s shoulder, burying her face. She didn’t see the soup turn an inky black colour and begin to bubble.

“Eugh! It smells _horrible!”_ Gregory pinched his nostrils closed. “That was an awful sight, just awful! Who on earth will cook for us now?”

_How can he_ always _move on so quickly? How_ dare _he?!_ Sarah had to cover her nose too. That soup reeked a hot, smoky smell and made her eyes burn more than her tears did. She caught her stomach contents in her throat; if she didn’t leave soon, away from this infuriating and devastating sadness, she was going to be sick.

She found herself rubbing her thumb over the back of Gunman’s hand for comfort. The prickles didn’t hurt if you pressed down lightly. She had to take her mind away from that scene burned into her skull, Angel Dog’s wails, Catherine’s hushing and snivelling, Clock Master’s panting.

“I-I can’t take this.” Gunman quavered. “He was the most terrifying man I knew but, I still felt like he was… guarding us, all this time. He dared the enemy and scared them into silence. It was incredible and…something I was jealous of. I wanted to fill those shoes before but now…” The cactus glanced at his holsters. “I wish he were back.”

He pulled his hand from Sarah’s. “Oh dios mio, who will protect us after this…?”

She gave him a soft side-hug but no answer. In the end, who could?

“Hi, hello up there, my esteemed war veterans! Did you enjoy the show?” Monoputa called up. He pulled out a wooden spoon. “And who wants to taste the spoils of _victory~?!”_

Clock Master charged to the front, face red. “We’ve had _enough!_ Look what you’ve done to us, you monster! To Angel Dog! Your damned show is over and we will _leave! Now!”_

Monoputa’s pondering pause scraped over time like nails on a chalkboard. He knelt down and sipped the villainous concoction. “Mmm… Tastes like despair… Okay tough guy, have it your way.”

A small earthquake threatened to trip up the survivors as fairy magic danced around and in an instant they were back to where they started. It hurt Sarah to see the pesky bonsais by Monoputa’s throne. Mere plants had lasted longer than good people.

“Alright kiddies, skedaddle on outta here!” Monoputa spun before elegantly gesturing to the elevator which dragged itself open. The soulless crew meandered over. “This trial was a hoot, am I right? Except for the girlfriend-attacking-me part. But she gave me the most precious gift of all… Sweet, sweet despair~.”

Sarah barely resisted the urge to make an obscene gesture to the brat, and saw Clock Master feel the same.

As the elevator jumbled and rumbled to their prison, thoughts mingled in Sarah’s mind. How different would their lives be with a mere six? Could their live up to their “guardian’s” final wish? And after all this, what more could _possibly_ come?


	30. Mourning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _AAAAAAAAA HERE IT IS I really hope you guys enjoy it!_   
>  _i swear, there won’t be as big a gap between this chapter and the next one._   
>  _Art this time is by angry-diarrhea and shortlifelongart!! <3_   
>  _I really hope you guys enjoy this~_

It seemed like all Sarah did anymore was mourn.

Hell’s Chef was gone.  Sarah _wanted_ to hate him.  Sarah _wanted_ to be happy about him passing, since he had killed-no, _eviscerated_ someone so near and dear to her.

But… that wouldn’t happen, no matter how much she wanted to.  She felt like a terrible person for wishing it… but this cursed place was making everyone in it into terrible people, corrupting their souls and shaking their cores. It made her sick.  Monoputa made her sick.

_If I’m going to blame anyone, it should be him,_ Sarah slammed her head down onto her desk, just a bit too hard, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears.   _Him and his boss._

Sarah had a hard time imagining anyone could be sicker than Monoputa, but she knew this much.  As soon as they found out who caused all this… they were going to _pay._

Lifting up her head, Sarah fiddled with the open book on her desk, absent-mindedly rifling through it.  She wasn’t in the mood to read.  Or eat.  Or sleep.

“I want to go home…” she sobbed quietly to herself.

One thing was certain, she really didn’t want to be alone.  She really needed someone to talk to, someone who experienced as much loss as she did. After musing for a few seconds, she knew exactly who that someone should be.

 

_GHS_

 

Cactus Gunman opened the door to see Sarah, her clothes ruffled and her hair down, a frizzy, untamed mess.  Her eyes were red and puffy, and tear streaks stained her cheeks.

Cactus Gunman’s expression softened.  “Sarah?”

“I…” Sarah was surprised at how high pitched and pathetic she sounded.  Clearing her throat, she tried again.  “I’m… I’m sorry, Gunman, I…need someone to talk to.”

Gunman stepped aside and gestured for her to come in. “I… I could use that myself.”

The two of them wound up sitting on the side of Gunman’s bed in silence for quite some time, a silence sullen and heavy.

Gunman’s heart couldn’t take the strain.  Watching Sarah quietly cry was far too much for him.

“Steve and Hell’s Chef…” Cactus Gunman scooted a bit closer to Sarah, but kept his hands off of her.  “… they were good.  They just… both made a big mistake.”

“I should have spent more time with him…” Sarah sniffled. Gunman wasn’t sure which one she meant, but she could have very well meant both.  “I feel like it’s my fault… I didn’t realize that Steve would try and attack Chef.  I didn’t think he’d do something like that… not ever.”

“I know the feeling…” Gunman took his hat off and held it against his chest.  “I felt the same about Evita.  I still do. _Dios mio,_ I wish I could go back in time and stop her.”

“There’s no way to go back in time…” Sarah sighed, leaning forward to rest her hands on her knees.  “Even if there were, I’m sure Monoputa would have given them an even more grisly fate.  He’d find a way to break us over and over.”

“He is quite good at that…” Gunman couldn’t help himself. He scooted a bit closer to Sarah so their hips were touching.  “Sarah, if I may… I’d like to make a man’s promise to you.”

Sarah turned to him, the slightest hint of a smile playing on her lips in spite of her sadness.  “A man’s promise?  How’s that any different from a regular promise?”

Cactus Gunman blushed.  “Ah, sorry.  I fear my machismo catches up with me.” He punched himself in the chest, smiling proudly under his mustache.  “I _promise_ you, Sarah, no matter what, I will protect you.”

“I should have expected something like that.” Sarah shook her head, but she was still smiling.  Gunman had always been helpful and trustworthy.  She turned toward him and nodded.  “Well then, I promise that I’ll protect you too, Gunman.  In a place like this… it’s always good to watch each other’s backs.”

“You are a very, very, smart woman,” Gunman was surprised day in and day out at Sarah’s brilliance, and this was no exception. “I think… since our group is so tightly knit, we won’t have to lose any more of our compadres.”

“I won’t let it happen.” Sarah vowed.

“Neither will I!” Cactus Gunman raised his fist to the sky victoriously, knocking his sombrero askew.

Sarah let a little laugh slip.  She smiled into Gunman’s eyes and then leaned forward, giving him a gentle kiss on his prickly cheek.  “We make a good team.  In mysteries, in grief… I’m glad we’re able to support each other so much.”

Cactus Gunman’s face reddened spectacularly, his fingers moving to where Sarah’s lips had brushed as light as a butterfly. “Si, me too…”

 

_GHS_

 

Sarah slinked down the dark staircase. The eerie blackness provided the perfect cover and she could only hope Monoputa or the mastermind weren’t watching. The blood still flowed red and hot through her cheeks and she felt slightly groggy from her long rest with Gunman. The basement air smelt grossly musty and damp.

In her tired state, she nearly fell down the last few steps but caught herself, which jostled her awake instantly. The cold, rough, dirty floor of the first basement level made Sarah uneasy.

She had come from the garden passage to check out something that had been bothering her - an inconsistency in Monoputa’s behaviour. She wondered if the others had realised it too, but she didn’t want to raise unnecessary panic. As silent as a mouse, she crept through the door in the direction of Lost Property.

On a roll, her face hardened in determination and feet light as a feather as she dashed through the halls. A spectacular wail shattered her focus and she stumbled over her own two feet before landing in the dust.

 Coughing profusely, she stood up and brushed herself off, all the while her head swivelled around like an owl looking for prey. _What was that?_

She recognised two voices - one low and relatively monotonous and the other higher, more distressed.

_It…It couldn’t be another murder, could it?!_ Working herself into stress beyond belief, Sarah rushed to the source, the laundry, to stop the horrendous act in progress. A blinding light from the milky white room beyond stopped her in her tracks. Eyes adjusting, she found…

“Catherine? Angel Dog? What’s going on?” Sarah’s arms dropped uselessly to her side.

It was then Sarah noticed Angel Dog’s eyes were two watery discs, wobbling and refracting her rainbow irises beautifully. Her pretty face was the picture of sadness.

Catherine, seated by Angel Dog, sighed in a bothered manner and stroked Angel Dog’s fur. “Would you mind giving us some privacy?”

“N-no, no, it’s alright Catherine.” Angel Dog hiccuped and forced a smile. “I don’t mind - really.”

Catherine made no further comment.

Sarah couldn’t help but be reminded of her time with Gunman - the poor puppy’s uncleanly odour hit her from the door and her fur was matted like an unused wig. The bags under her eyes rendered any attempt at false happiness useless.

“This is about Chef, isn’t it?” she asked, moving to take a seat at Angel Dog’s other side.

Angel Dog whimpered and lay her face on the table. She looked up pitifully at her and huffed and sniffled like a real puppy. Her paws covered her head like she couldn’t bare to face the real world.

Sarah sighed. She stroked Angel Dog’s shoulder and felt the clumps, mats and sweat. It was now she realised Angel Dog was shaking, and her composure was only skin deep.

“Hey, it’s alright. We understand how you feel, we really do.”

“No you _don’t!”_ Angel Dog sat up and shook her head vigorously. “You all thought he was a _monster,_ down right until that last trial, didn’t you?! I know you did! _None of you_ can understand because _none of you_ even _liked_ him!”

She clutched her head, her claws digging into her scalp, trying to free herself from her mental prison. The tips of her fur were turning a light purple and she let out a low, pitiful howl. She was slowly losing control.

 A startled noise escaped the usually-composed Catherine. “Angel…!”

 Sarah worriedly looked to the nurse, expecting some sort of reprimand. Yet there was fear, pity and empathy for the young woman.

“Angel Dog, y-you know I didn’t mean it like that.” Sarah spluttered. There was real, deep-seated anger in Angel Dog’s unwavering stare. Sarah felt like a deer in headlights but she pressed on. “Maybe you’re right, we don’t know, okay? But none of us had what you two did.”

Sarah took the low but non-aggressive grumble that met her ears as a sign of agreement.

“What I’m trying to say is we’ve all had someone like that. Someone here who no one knew better than we did, and no one _saw_ like we did. Only _we_ understood them, and no one felt their loss greater than us. For Clock Master, it was Roulette Boy; me, Steve; Gregory, James; and for Gunman it was his sister.” Sarah’s breath caught in her throat as the light and innocence of clarity flooded over Angel Dog. “We do understand.”

Angel Dog’s bottom lip trembled and a real smile broke free. It was a sweet sight for sore eyes to see her smile and the purple in her fur begin to dull.

“Angel Dog…” Scaly claws tapped absentmindedly and Catherine watched her own appendages with distracted interest. “Chef…He was special to you, wasn’t he?”

The purple abruptly faded and Angel Dog jolted upright, fur on end. “Of-of course!” She smiled uncomfortably.  “Very special.”

“ _Very_ special… I see.” Catherine exhaled shakily and stood up, briskly starting for the door. “I-I hope you feel better. Excuse me.”

“Catherine, wait!” Sarah stood up.

“Catherine!” cried Angel Dog.

The panicked pooch bolted over the table at the speed of light with her powerful wings. A firm, unrelenting paw landed on Catherine’s shoulder. The lizard stopped but did not turn around.

“Catherine… It wasn’t like that, really. I’ve…never thought of _any_ man like that…” Angel Dog paused. “I thought… it was like that with him and _you.”_

“What?” Catherine turned around. “Goodness no. Well, you can’t say a girl didn’t try.” She admitted sheepishly. “But, in the end, he just wasn’t interested, and he turned out to be much too childish for my liking. A girl learns to move on and forget. And that’s easy when you have someone else in your sights.  Someone strong, brave… unwavering and responsible.  Someone cute, smart, and inspirational, someone whose smile never failed to make me feel at home, even in such a wretched place.”

Angel Dog’s jaw dropped but she collected herself and looked away. “…Who?”

A sharp claw turned Angel Dog’s head to the front.

“Who do you think?” Catherine purred, smiling into Angel Dog’s eyes.

“O-oh…” Angel Dog couldn’t stop a grin from crossing her face.

Catherine guided Angel Dog’s face closer, and Catherine’s cold lips met Angel Dog’s soft ones, delicately and gently. Angel Dog turned bright red, and pulled Catherine in closer, locked in intimacy for a heartbeat.

When they broke apart, Angel Dog giddily buried her face in her hands and Catherine went bright red, smiling dreamily.

“You two are so _adorable!”_ Sarah couldn’t contain herself. Something so sweet and heartfelt was just what she needed to see. She rushed over and gave each of them a side hug. Sneaking a glance at Angel Dog, she hurriedly asked: “Angel, will you be alright?”

“I think I can manage, if I have a little help.” She looked at Catherine from under coy lashes.  “Misery loves company, after all.”

“You can talk to me about whatever you like,” Catherine replied.

“Chef was like family to me…” Angel Dog sighed sadly. “I have a lot of sadness to get out.”

“Take all the time you need,” Catherine smoothed Angel Dog’s matted fur.  “A smile like yours is worth waiting for.”

Sarah’s heart flooded with warmth. _They really care for each other… Monoputa can never break something like that._

A forgotten memory hit her like a steamroller, and her face must have shown it for Angel Dog worriedly asked if something was the matter. Sarah motioned for them to lean in close.

“I have to check something out. Follow me.”

She lead the hand-holding lovebirds down the second floor of the basement, and through the darkened tunnels. Sarah didn’t know what to expect, but she couldn’t say she wasn’t suspicious when the tunnel to the third level of the basement was still sealed.

 

_GHS_

 

It had been a month. Monoputa never let them forget how much he was upset with such a prolonged period of “boring”. For Sarah, this was a victory.

Week after week Monoputa, under his boss’ orders, flung copious amounts of motives at them. Promises of luxury, fame, a new beginning to right wrongs, a world where none of this had supposedly happened - and all of them empty or not worth the risk, to the remaining few.

A spring in her step, Sarah flounced to her desk. She did her ponytail up a little higher that morning and swept up her day clothes. They were holding out. There was always that hope that if they banded together tightly enough and withstood the pain, the mastermind would tire and let them go.

_But…_ Sarah put on her shirt slowly as she thought. _They could always kill us if we became too boring._

She shoved her bad thoughts away with a little more optimism than usual. This mastermind was one person, how much could they stand against six people? Especially when one was part devil incarnate with a vendetta against his underling. _All the better that way. The day I see Monoputa in a healthy relationship is the day I die.  Devil Dog is a vile girl, but even she deserves better than Monoputa._

Within minutes, she was striding up the hall to breakfast. She and the others had adjusted to breakfast without their usual head chef and made do to the point where their routine was always the same now. It was a good same - Monoputa could see they were unphased - but a lonely same.

She knew nothing could be done and just had to look to the future.

The door to the garden swung open with a mighty heave and already forceful and aggressive-sounding murmurs bounced off Sarah’s ears. She quickened her pace, ignoring the scenic aura of the lamplight and somewhat more pleasant atmosphere to tackle to source of unrest head on, with a fluttering heart. She burst through the door.

“But who are we to say what really belongs in a breakfast…” An old voice said slyly.

Her heart collapsed with relief to find only bickering housemates in the kitchen. Clock Master smiled, rolling his eyes and wished Sarah a good morning. She looked around to see Gregory tugging at Catherine’s uniform insistently. In a split instant, she remembered how James used to do the same.

“Gregory, _we_ are the chefs, while _you_ should be happy you get to taste some of my _scrumptious_ cooking at all. It’s simply divine.” Catherine said with pride.

“Oh, but that’s why I’m _here,_ Catherine! I know _you’ll_ make the meal a wonder to the tastebuds.”

As he tossed compliments left and right, Gregory’s hand crept to one of the ingredients. Catherine, unfazed, slapped his wrist with spatula.

“Get to the dining room, old man.” There was ice in her voice.

Gregory rubbed his wrist. “Oh fine… But if you ever change your mind, cooking for James left me quite a few ideas up my sleeve!” He chuckled to himself.

“I can’t stand men who can’t take a hint,” the lizard flicked her tongue as the rat shuffled to the dining room.

“Morning Sarah,” Catherine continued tiredly, a smile crossing her face. “I suppose you want to give me requests too?”

She shook her head. “Your food is always delicious, I trust you to take the wheel.”

Catherine blushed faintly and went back to her omelettes. Clock Master sniffed.

“Don’t I get a compliment too? I make a mean pancake you know.” He said, flicking the baked good high in the air and executing a wobbly catch.

Sarah laughed. She hadn’t felt this happy since before she lost her memories! …Probably. It was the small, natural conversations that made her feel safe and free, for even a moment, like running in an open field. That meant the most.

She happily obliged. “Your son would-”

“OH _GOD.”_

Sarah’s voice caught in her throat. The three exchanged worried looks. None of them had spoken.

The chefs took an instant to turn off their stoves and dashed after Sarah, lunging for the dining room door.

It took Sarah’s eyes a moment to adjust to the chandelier’s stark brightness bubbling before her. As it seeped away, she grimaced at the sleek outline posing on the dining table before three repulsed faces.

“Hey ladies~,” Monoputa serenaded, tossing his head over his shoulder. “Someone’s got the girls wrapped right around his finger, eh Clock Master?”

Clock Master frowned, and Sarah saw a bit of colour rise to his cheeks, but he said nothing.

“Tch, it’s only him…” Catherine started back for the kitchen. “To think I thought there was a real emergency.”

“W-wait! Don’t go!” Monoputa scrambled to his feet. “Uh, h-how are you? You must have all missed me, right?”

Met with blank faces, he grew desperate. “Come on now, it’s been _weeks_ since we talked. Not even a little bit? …Maybe Devil Dog? How is she?”

“She’s not coming, if that’s what you’re hoping,” Angel Dog sneered, then muttered something under her breath darkly, in an unusually growly voice.

“Ah…” Monoputa seemed disheartened. “W-well, doesn’t anyone find that suspicious? Maybe you should take her out before she gets you alooone~.”

“Hey! Th-they wouldn’t do that!” Angel Dog edged away, her voice angered and in disbelief. However, she couldn’t help her eyes fluttering to her peers for support.

“There is _no_ way you’d get us to attack her. Not on our lives.” Gunman bravely half-shielded Angel Dog with his shoulder and spin his guns in his hands.  Sarah couldn’t help grinning at that.

Catherine began to approach the growling Angel Dog too. “Of course. Just because a girl has a _little_ bit of a dark side doesn’t mean you can’t trust her. You just have to have a little faith.” She flicked her tongue pleasantly and gave Angel Dog a soft wink.

“Hmph, obviously some people are more _trusting_ than others.” Gregory muttered. “Those poor, naive people-”

“-are right,” Clock Master finished.

Gregory yelped in surprise and even Sarah felt Clock Master’s pride radiating into her.

“I’m with gramps!” Monoputa said. He mimicked Gregory’s exclamation and pulled a face that was so exaggerated it belonged in a caricature. “Sure you don’t want to reconsider, old timer? Is it worth breaking that alliance with old Gregs here?”

Monoputa waddled to the edge of the table and climbed down like a small child, unsure of his footing. Obviously trying to play up the comedy, he grinned sweetly and meandered to the old clock like a shy school girl. The vulture encircled Clock Master.

“Think of all the things you could do together…! You two, you could take out the competition together - even escape! Don’t you want that? Your old life? Don’t give me that face, old man, you do. Well how about getting it with your best friend, huh?” Monoputa gestured trotted up to the old rat. “If you don’t, you’ll be awfully lonely~ Come on, who else knows you better than my pal _right here!”_

Monoputa swung his arm around Gregory’s waist and squeezed him tightly.

“Get _off_ me already…!” Gregory yelled, pushing Monoputa’s arm away.

Clock Master’s face was shadowed.

“C-Clock Master?” Gunman pryed.

“Don’t listen to him!” Sarah insisted. She felt for the old man, torn between the comfort of friendship and the fear of an unknown. “You know this is right. We won’t need to kill to leave if we just band together!”

“I know Sarah…” Clock Master whispered. “But Monoputa’s right. I will be lonely. Oh, I’ve been a lonely bastard from the start, damn it!” He pounded his fist into the dining table. The cutlery clattered. “Why do you think I drink?! I’ve had no family here; scared out of my wits about who I am and dying and having no one to talk to… Even when I _knew_ there was a family out there, I was still the same damn drunk and too cowardly to go after them like Mummy Papa - I knew I wasn’t the father my son or _any_ son needed! I thought trying to turn things around would make me earn them, and your respect. But that poor Roulette Boy died for the same reason I drink! Loneliness!

His voice cracked and Sarah could see tears welling up in his eyes. “Losing Gregory… I may be the loneliest man in the world… But if there’s one thing I hate more than that, it’s _sick bastards_ like you. You and your pitiful boss that do things like this to people like me, and Roulette Boy and my son.

“I’d never attack Angel Dog, or any of you,” Clock Master proudly stood behind Angel Dog, his face still vulnerable. “Our past and our demons don’t define us.”

Sarah felt a whole new level of veneration and couldn’t help a few tears herself. Angel Dog seemed to have the same problem and slammed Clock Master in a fierce hug.

Gregory’s scarred face looked away.

“Oooh~, well Prince Charming’s a little late for the bandwagon at this age, don’t you think?” Monoputa mocked. “I know the ladies love an emotional man and you’ve got problems to spare, so you’ve still got some luck out there! Or maybe not, since you just signed yourself over to a life with _me!_ Might as well quit while you have the chance!”

“No way.” Sarah approached the little prompter.

“Hah?”

“These guys have more than proven that they aren’t giving into you _or_ the mastermind anymore. Face it, your motives over this month have lead to nothing, and it’s going to stay that way. We’re bound too tightly to the hope that our futures will be brighter and while we have each other, that’s unshakeable.” Sarah confidently slid in next to Gunman, leaving Gregory and Monoputa on their lonesome. “We’re not playing your game anymore.”

“Hrrr…” Monoputa’s face was a mix of anger and a desperate attempt to keep his cool. “You think you’re just hot _shit,_ don’t you? Think you can handle the boss? Well we still have Gregory! You’re not even a full team! You’re just PATHETIC!” His voice rose to a scream. “HOW’S THAT FOR A REBELLION, HUH?!”

“Gregory…” Clock Master cautioned. His eyes were sad and weary.

The rat sighed. “Something about this place… It makes me want to stay here forever. Fighting it feels wrong… yet refreshing. Maybe a little faith and naivety isn’t the _worst_ thing I can do, even if it means siding with the mutt. Maybe being unbound by family will lead me to a new future.”

_“WHAT?!”_ Monoputa yelled.

“This place always felt like a home… but it never felt more like it than in this last month…” Gregory muttered. “This peace… I want this more.”

Slowly, he shuffled to his other housemates.

“RrrrrRRRAAAAGH!!” Monoputa screeched. “YOU’RE ALL MAKING A MISTAKE!”

“Face it, Monoputa, you’re playing on our terms now. I’m sure your boss will be thrilled. Now we have a question for you.” Sarah’s bravery surged with the backing of her friends and she knelt down to his eye level. “Where is the new floor?”

Monoputa’s eyes widened in fear. In a split instant they were replaced with balls of rage and Sarah had no time to feel regret before she felt the sticky ooze of Monoputa’s spit catapulted onto her face.

“Oh THAT’S _IT!”_ Sarah yanked back her fist for a full force punch but felt Clock Master’s swift, restraining arms around her waist, pulling her out of reach. “ You deserve what’s coming to you, Monoputa! You’ll never get us to kill, and we’ll _escape_ this hell-hole!”

She floundered violently hoping to once, just _once,_ land a good hit on the pint-sized freak.

“Sarah!” She heard Gunman protest, and felt a new pair of prickly appendages join her waist.

“Oh you no idea how wrong you are, missy!” Monoputa’s voice was more serious and threatening than she had ever heard it. “Your days are numbered, you hear me?! The boss is coming, so enjoy your ‘peace’ while you can!”

Monoputa disappeared and Sarah was released. A daunting silence fell over them.

“Oh w-what have we done? What do we do?!” Gunman bit his fingernails. “I didn’t think we’d get this far!!”

“What do you think we do?” Catherine cut in harshly. “We do all we can.”

Sarah nodded. “And for now, we wait.”

 

_GHS_

 

Sarah was lost in another mystery novel, this one about an intelligent, calculated heroine who was trying to rescue her kidnapped brother.  For once in her life, Sarah saw herself in the book’s heroine.  After helping keep everyone safe in this unforgiving dimension, she knew that she was just as smart and amazing as the woman who starred in this book.  Even when the heroine of this story lost her comrades, she kept pressing on.  It was sad, but it was a part of life in her world.

It was a part of life in Sarah’s world, too.  Even if the protagonist of this book was fictional, Sarah felt like they had a kindred spirit.

Sarah knew it was a childish thought, but it was a comforting one.  Sarah let a smile cross her face as she read on.

Sarah was yanked out of the book’s world by a sharp, quick knock on her door.  A little annoyed, Sarah stood up and went to answer it.

“Yes?” she asked as she opened the door.  Cactus Gunman stood on the other side of it, colored a pale green, sweat dripping down the sides of his spiky face.

“Are you okay?” Sarah’s annoyance disappeared and she grabbed Cactus Gunman’s wrist in an attempt to support him.  He stumbled into her room and landed ungracefully on her bed.

“I-I’m fine, Sarah.  I’ve just been… wrestling with bad thoughts,” Cactus Gunman wiped his brow on his poncho.  “Do… do you think it was wise to challenge Monoputa like we did?”

She felt like she should have seen this coming. The great proclamations of the others had made Sarah’s heart swell with joy, but forget that Gunman had said very little. She sighed and sat next to him, the bed creaking under their weight.

“I don’t know,” she confessed. “I don’t know if anything we’re doing is really ‘wise.’ But I do think it’s right. Who knows if we’re going about it the sneakiest way or the ‘wisest’ way. Playing into their hands and watching us all die under their terms is the wrong way, and I know that at least. What we did, it may not make death any less certain, but at least this way we die on our terms. They wanted us to fight each other, but if we bring the fight to them, standing our own ground, maybe we can get our memories and make it out of here.”

She lightly stroked Gunman’s pale hand. “I don’t want to die killing one of the people I’ve grown to love. All of us, we’re all we have, and something the mastermind doesn’t. Whether we win or lose, that’s the least I want. Don’t you?”

Cactus Gunman looked away. “Sarah, I would gladly lay down my life for you if it let you be free. There is… almost nothing I want more. But the mastermind, oh, he is terrifying!” He coughed discreetly. “Er, even to a man like me. How can we stand a chance? My revolvers might not be enough. Dios mio, I wish I had courage like you, Sarah.”

She let out a little chuckle. Gunman was endearing even when he was scared stiff. “Hey. Do you trust me?” Sarah asked.

“Of course.” He met her eyes with confusion. She saw some colour had returned to his cheeks.

“Well _I_ trust that this will work out, so, since you trust me, so do you.”

He frowned harshly at her but grinned “Hey…” Sarah saw doubt worm it’s way back up to his face. “Not even a little bit of doubt?

“Nope. Absolutely none. Zero.” She said sarcastically. She found herself laughing at how lightly she was treating the situation. “Really Gunman, we just need a little faith in one another. whether we win or lose we’ll still look forward to the future. It’s a future where the mastermind can’t break us.”

Gunman smiled softly, but the heartfelt gaze he gave Sarah was interrupted by a surprisingly obnoxious yawn.

“Tired? It is getting late. Uh, you can stay here for the night if you’d like.” She suggested, trying to hide the red brimming in her cheeks.

He thanked her and lay down on her bed, and she next to him. A somewhat tender moment was thrown awry when Sarah’s hand brushed against her hardcover book and she looked at it in surprise, caught off guard.

“Sarah?”

“It’s nothing. I was just reading this before you came in.” She smiled and she held the cover in front of her face. “It’s about a heroine trying to save someone she cares about.”

Gunman’s eyes fell shut, but he clung to consciousness. “Your voice is so gentle… Read it to me.”

Sarah spun tales of the heroine’s tragedy and misfortune, her happiness and her gain. The scenes danced softly in Gunman’s mind until his breathing became soft and even. Sarah smiled wearily, her eyelids growing heavy themselves. Tranquil, the book seemed to roll out of Sarah’s hands. Her mind began to rest…

She was so comfortable, resting next to her most trusted companion, that she did not hear the subtle _CLANG_ of her lock breaking; so comfortable that she did not hear the discrete _squeeeeak…_ of the door prying open and _so_ comfortable that she did not hear the pitter patter of footsteps across her floor.

The figure’s grip on their weapon tightened, not expecting a second person with Sarah. They would make do. They neared the bed, leaning over Sarah.

She had a book half resting on her chest, carefully suspended in her grasp. Her breathing and Gunman’s was even. It was time. They would go for the neck.

The intruder brushed a strand of Sarah’s hair out of the way and readied their weapon. Bending over for a clear shot, their knee thumped the bed. It shook, they cursed, the book fell.

Gunman’s eyes flew open and he sat up with a start. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing! Some person in a hazmat suit, their face obscured by the tinted visor, towered over Sarah. They jumped back, dropping something to the floor and in an instinctive rage, Gunman yanked a revolver from its holster, maliciously turned off the safety, and fired a shot.

The figure bolted out the door like lightning and Sarah only caught a glimpse of yellow as the sounds assaulted her ears.

“Sarah! Are you alright? Sarah?!” Gunman grabbed her shoulder, his voice barely audible through the ringing in Sarah’s ears.

Her heart pounded and she gulped, sweat drenching her shirt. “What the _hell_ was that?!”

“A-a-a person! C-came in here!” Cactus Gunman spluttered through the adrenaline as Sarah picked up an object from the floor.

It was a needle. Sarah was sure that wasn’t there before, and it was too big to be one of Catherine’s - it was a fairly average size. The concoction within was a mysterious lime green and Sarah’s hand began to tremble.

“Who… Who were they?”

“I do not know. I could not see their face. But Sarah,” Gunman swallowed. “I think they tried to kill you.”


	31. Acidic

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Hi guys! Sorry our pace has been so slow still, we definitely do want to see this story to completion, so don’t fret!_   
>  _Got a shiny new chapter for you! We’re on the home stretch. It’s very bittersweet, hehe._   
>  _Artists this go are @shortlifelongart @lithromanticamethyst and @molly-curdle_   
>  _Thank you so much for your support! Please enjoy~_

“K-kill…” Sarah staggered backwards, her knees wobbling in fear.  “… me…?”

Gunman fumbled with the needle, shakily placing it on Sarah’s desk.  “Who would do such a thing…?”

“Kill me…” The realization of what had just happened hit Sarah like an oncoming train.  Someone wanted her dead.  Someone was willing to risk their own life to end Sarah’s.  If Gunman hadn’t been there… if Sarah hadn’t woken up… there were so many factors in this situation.

If one little thing had been different, Sarah would have already been dead.

“Sarah, you’re white as a sheet!” Gunman rushed to Sarah’s side just as she swooned.  He grabbed her and gently guided her to the bed.  “Dios mio… when I found out who did that, I’ll…” Gunman reached for his gun again and Sarah shook her head, turning even paler.

“Gunman, if you kill them…” Sarah choked, struggling to speak around the massive lump in her throat.  “…then you’d die too…”

“I’ll guard you with my life!” Cactus Gunman’s eyes filled with tears as he gazed at Sarah.  “If they attempt it again… I won’t kill them, but I will make _sure_ they won’t be able to kill you, or _anyone,_ for that matter!”

“How…?” Sarah blinked, hoping in vain that her dizziness would go away.

Cactus Gunman spun his pistol around a finger. “Well placed shots to the knees and elbows tend to put a damper on murder attempts, no?”

Sarah gave him the slightest smile, even if she was sure he wouldn’t be able to hit shots that precise.  The bullet hole in the wall from when he tried to shoot her assailant was still smoking…

The poor girl shook at the thought of that needle plunging into her arm… if Gunman hadn’t been here, she would-

Sarah was interrupted by footsteps thundering down the hall.

“YOU!” A pink streak blazed into the room and slammed Cactus Gunman against the wall.  Gunman turned pale green once he came nose-to-nose with an enraged Catherine, her eyes flashing with hatred and her face bright red.  “How DARE you fire a gun at a lady!!  Sarah TRUSTED you, you bastard!  If she’s even a little bit hurt I’m going to RIP OFF YOUR-”

“Catherine!  CATHERINE! Gunman didn’t try to hurt me!” Sarah’s voice cracked and squeaked like an old door.  She ran over and tried to pry Catherine off of the terrified Gunman. “He was _protecting_ me!”

“What…?” The hatred disappeared from Catherine’s eyes and she let Gunman go.  He sank to the floor, sucking in huge breaths.  “From what?  From WHO? Who tried to hurt you, Sarah?!”

“I… I don’t know…” Sarah’s voice was barely a breath.  “He… they… they had some kind of hazmat suit on. I have no clue who they were.”

“Not even the slightest clue?” Catherine put a hand on Sarah’s shoulder in an attempt to steady her.

“N-none.  I was so afraid, I could barely think…” Sarah shook, fear overtaking her as her near-death flashed through her mind.  Catherine gently squeezed Sarah’s shoulder in support, which Sarah was grateful for. “I-I’m sorry, Catherine.”

“Sorry?  Sorry? Oh, sweetheart, you don’t have to be sorry…” Catherine pulled Sarah into a hug, stroking her hair.  “We’ll figure this out.  And until then, I promise that all of us will keep a close eye on you. You’re not going to die on my-or anyone else’s-watch!”

 

_GHS_

 

Gregory yawned carelessly as he trotted into the nurse’s office. Closing the door behind him, he was met with his companions’ grave faces.

Catherine leaned against her desk, tapping her nails, most likely thinking it typical that a boy kept them waiting so long. Behind her somewhat prickly shield of the overprotective Gunman, Sarah saw Angel Dog flash a fed-up look to the rodent, but it was laced with less hatred than usual.

“My my, a little early, don’t you think?” Gregory babbled, almost purposefully oblivious. “An old man needs his rest, especially after such an… _eventful_ day yesterday.”

“Yes, yes…” Clock Master gave a slight smile, apparently unsure of how to behave around Gregory. His trust was somewhat shaken.

Sarah narrowed her eyes. His face was clearly a light shade of red, and his eyes were unfocused. If that wasn’t proof enough he’d been drinking again, the small bottle of gin in his hand was. Angel Dog gave him a light pat on the back.

“Hey, you know Catherine wouldn’t have gathered us here without a good enough reason! Isn’t that right?” Her stout defense cut like a knife as she looked back at Catherine, displaying a mix of confidence and faith.

The lizard looked all business, nodding. Before she could get a word out, Gunman, looking ready to burst, spewed out his panicked word vomit.

“Of course! Tell them! Tell them what happened to our poor señorita!”

A flicker of annoyance crossed her eyes while all Sarah could do was blush. Catherine tried again. “Yes-”

“It was horrible! Awful!” His eyes were insistent and paranoid with a trace of ferocity. “Some person- A man broke through our lock and tried to kill her! He had it! A needle! I swear, if it was one of you–”

“That’s enough! Gunman.” Catherine narrowed her eyes, scolding with her icy stare.

Gunman seemed to fumble. “I..Er..Sorry, Catherine. My mistake.”

“Pardon me, my friend, but did you happen to say ‘needle’? That hardly sounds dangerous. Our needles are small and stout. They aren’t very threatening…” Gregory looked pensive. “After all, it appears one of us has a slight _inclination_ to one of greater size.”

Catherine bared her pin like teeth.

“Leave her alone, you…rat!” Angel Dog’s fur was ruffled but it was clear she was holding herself back.

“No…No he’s right.” The lizard shook her head and dusted her uniform before the rat received a pointed look. “We just have to accept each other’s faults and move on. Sarah?”

Reaching into her pocket, Sarah took this as her cue. Clock Master hiccuped distractedly as she revealed the larger needle, its contents tinged a mysterious green.

“Like Gunman said, someone broke into my room. And I think they tried to attack me with this…” announced Sarah.

She poised it carefully between her fingers and Gunman stood back, perhaps afraid of getting too close to it. Narrowing her eyes, she tried to consider what it was. It didn’t look like anything she’d seen in a lab or otherwise.

Whilst lost in her thoughts, Catherine pointedly looked away. Her face was flushed and her eyes dilated.

“Oh goodness…” Angel Dog fluttered over to her and held her arm, all the while glancing worriedly at the needle. “I don’t know _where_ one of us could have even gotten something like that.”

She returned to murmuring her concerns to Catherine while Gunman considered her words.

“I don’t think I saw anything like this in the storeroom,” he put forward.

“Nor have I seen such a _vile_ looking concoction before.” Gregory seemed to be thinking aloud. “Where could this be sourced, I wonder…”

Sarah affirmed her agreement, but in reality had turned her attention to her companions. Gregory and Angel Dog looked genuinely surprised by the new needle, she hardly thought it could be them.

In his drunken stupor, Clock Master, wobbly on his feet, had let the gin fall from his grasp and stumbled forward. “H-Hey thass-” His eyes focussed on the needle, widening and he rushed forward. “W-Watch out!…Protect ssson…! Dangerouss!”

A small breath escaped before Sarah was knocked off her feet, Clock Master falling onto her much smaller frame, and the needle flying from her hand. All the breath was pushed from her lungs and any new air reeked of gin. She let out a small wail of distress, her head pounding.

A moment after, other wails accompanied her own. She clenched her hands, reeling, when she finally registered her hands were empty. In a single instant, frustration and fury propelled themselves to the core of her being and she shoved the drunken form off her body. He had fallen asleep already.

“S-señorita!” Gunman held out his hand and she firmly took it, gritting her teeth. “Look…”

Irked, Sarah turned her head sharply. She had wondered why the others gasped. The needle, now broken, lay in pieces on the floor. Its contents had spilled out in its vicinity, sizzling the wood and leaving holes in the floor. The pieces of broken needle were slipping down the new openings.

“I-is that…” Sarah broke off.

“It’s acid.” Catherine confirmed, approaching for a closer look. “Appears very concentrated too… I was going to examine it with my equipment, however limited it is, but you might have just saved me the trouble.”

“Someone was going to put _that_ in poor Sarah? Just look at it!” Angel Dog cast a sweeping arm to the hole, now surrounded by paltry glass crystals. “She couldn’t have stood a chance! Her insides would be nothing but a puddle by now.”

Her breath caught in her throat. The thought of that made her quake. _Angel Dog is right._ _If it weren’t for Gunman…_ Holding her arms for support, she looked to him, and he returned her look of paranoia.

Gregory came forward. “But… It’s impossible! Even while asleep, she would have woken to a terrible, _terrible_ burning. Or at least, showed some distress in her sleep.”

“This fiend picked the door lock! If he thought of a way to stop this too, I would not be caught off guard.” Gunman folded his arms in distaste.

“O-or maybe..he didn’t expect me to have company, and thought no one would hear, or witness it.” Sarah shook her head. This person had the soul of a devil. “We have to consider all the possibilities.”

“Our rooms aren’t soundproofed, my dear. If I recall, it was merely Judgement Boy and his mentor’s rooms, while we were left to fend for ourselves…” The rat chuckled to himself. “Strange, how the ones with the most advantage passed so soon… It must lead you to wonder, though, that if we cannot determine where this instrument came from, do we perhaps secretly have someone defected to Monoputa’s side, striking another deal? Or did the mastermind get more… _personally_ involved?”

Sarah’s jaw dropped. She hadn’t even thought of that. _Here I was checking over my friends, suspecting them of trying to break our truce with one another, when I didn’t even consider that the war we had waged had already begun!_

“If this was the mastermind… I bet he chose a needle on purpose! And one so big too! Catherine, he’s using you to pull us apart, and make us start suspecting each other again!” Sarah met Catherine’s grave eyes.

“Oh if I could just get my hands on that man…!” Catherine clenched her fists in front of her, her face flushed. “There’s no doubt, Sarah. We’re at war now.”

 

_GHS_

 

It had to be early afternoon. The grass crunched under Sarah’s feet, and she felt dwarfed by Catherine’s shape, keeping an eye on her every so often. Though the needle was long gone, her exposure to it ate away at her, sucking all her strength to keep a cool surface. Only now did she seem to be getting her usual colour back.

Of course, Sarah wanted to help, but the older, more mature lizard wouldn’t accept something so petty as holding her hand or need the kindly yet distracting reassurance of her words as she ploughed her energy into keeping her own composure. Sarah hoped her presence spoke volumes, and was comfort enough as the two walked in silence.

“Hey, keep him steady!” Angel Dog snapped, wavering in the air. “Can’t you lift him any higher?”

Gregory twitched his whiskers. “This wouldn’t be a problem if you just _walked_. We’d be at the same height!”

Sarah smirked with amusement as Clock Master’s waking, irritated form teetered uneasily between them. He would not be enjoying this.

Casting glances backwards, Cactus Gunman was undoubtedly thinking he should take Angel Dog’s place. He had insisted such earlier, when the six first agreed to meet in the dining room to discuss further actions, but after being told his cactus needles would pose a problem, he settled on opening the doors for them and backseat driving.

Sniffing as he opened the kitchen door, Gunman’s eye did not waver off Clock Master. “The poor senor is taking it hard. Easy, EASY– senorita, please try to balance yourself.”

Sarah laughed to herself, shaking her head. _He can be so cute when he’s trying this hard._

They may never see eye to eye, but their mutual drive to escape didn’t leave any room for doubt in Sarah’s hopes for the future.

“Careful, careful!” Gunman’s eyes bulged.

Gregory scoffed in disgust. “You mutt! Move to the _side!_ You aren’t very bright if you expect three people to fit in this door.”

“My _wand_ is brighter tha–” Angel Dog froze in her tracks. “OH GOD!”

Before Sarah could protest or even shoot Catherine a side glance, Angel Dog had dropped the entirety of her share of drunken old men and dropped to her feet, covering her mouth.

Catherine darted forward, peppering her with questions, while Sarah followed more cautiously, her heart thundering in her chest and scanning for danger.

Only Gunman paid much mind to Gregory, who had fallen under Clock Master’s weight, finding himself pinned down and face to face with the man, who smiled sincerely. Gregory turned a bright shade of red.

“Uh– Ah– Th-there better be a good reason for this!” Gregory stammered.

Angel Dog nodded vigorously, and raised a trembling, pointing arm.

Monoputa’s voice blared over the speaker. “A body has been discovered in the kitchen! After a brief period of investigation, we’ll have a house trial! This one’s going to be a real _kicker!”_


	32. Gregory House

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _G’day everyone, we got you a nice shiny chapter here! There should be only one or two more following this and we thank you for your patience on this long road with us!_   
>  _This chapter is accompanied by the new ~spoilery~ maps which I’ll post very soon and leave a link in the sidebar to for you!_   
>  _Art credit for this chapter goes to the lovely @shortlifelongart (who managed to get us a piece despite being sick so thank you for that), @rouletteboys, @ghoulsjw and @charmydoodles who very graciously volunteered! Enjoy!_

Another body… **  
**

Sarah recognized it, too.  This was her assailant, the person who had come to her in the night and nearly flooded her veins with that vile green liquid.  The hazmat suit was unmistakable.  But who…?

Everyone else was here and very much alive.  This wasn’t one of them.

There was no blood, no gore, just the body lying on its back, one of its hands raised above their head, clenched into a fist that was tightly locked in place by rigor mortis.  Were they trying to defend themselves??

No one was moving.  They were all just staring, jaws agape, apart from Clock Master, who had dozed off right on top of poor Gregory.

“Someone needs to…” Sarah finally found her voice, squeezing out of her throat in a hoarse whisper.

“I’ll take care of it.” Stepping over Clock Master, Catherine made her way over to the body, the only sounds in the kitchen the clicking of her heels on the tile.  Angel Dog followed after her, as did Sarah, on shaky, unsteady legs.  The men remained in the doorframe, Cactus Gunman nervously chewing on a thumbnail and Gregory struggling to get out from underneath the drunken Clock Master.

Catherine grabbed hold of the body’s mask and quickly yanked it off, as if removing a bandage.  The three women sucked in a collective gasp when they saw the face of the corpse…

…or rather, what was left of it.

The face was completely burned off, barely any flesh clinging to the bones.  The eyes were hollow and the mouth seemed to be locked in a scream, all of the teeth missing.  By all means, the body was completely unidentifiable.

“Acid,” Catherine stated simply after a few seconds of silence.  “These are acid burns.”

“Acid burns?” Gregory finally managed to pull himself to his feet, brushing off his shirt as he approached the body.  After examining the body’s face, his expression unchanging apart from a slight squint, he nodded.  “It’s unmistakable.”

Catherine unzipped the hazmat suit slightly and saw that it wasn’t just the body’s face that was burned.  Moving the zipper down to mid-chest, the group saw that every inch of this unfortunate soul’s body had been exposed to acid.

Catherine continued her examination, her face grave as she moved to the body’s hands.  “The tips of their fingers were cut off,” she stated.  “There’s no way we’d be able to tell who this was, even if we were properly equipped to do so.”

“So cruel…” Angel Dog breathed.  “They may have tried to murder Sarah, but no one deserves to suffer like this!”

Sarah had to agree.  Who would even do something like this?!

“Sarah…” Gunman squeaked from the door.  “There was acid in the needle they used, no?”

“You’re right…” Sarah looked over her shoulder at him, her eyes widening.  “Someone must have stumbled upon this person’s stash…”

The atmosphere in the room became heavy as everyone eyed each other.  Sarah felt her heart drop into her stomach.  Great, this again…

Her thoughts were interrupted by one of the cabinets flying open and Monoputa jumping out of it, right onto the body’s stomach.  “Hey hey!”

The pressure of Monoputa made a vile fluid squirt out of the body’s mouth, nearly hitting Angel Dog square in the forehead.  She yelped in disgust and quickly moved out of the way.

Sarah sighed.  “What do-”

“-you want, Monoputa?” Monoputa put his hands on his cheeks and fluttered his eyelashes, raising the pitch of his voice in a mocking impression of Sarah.  “Yeah, yeah, we all know the catchphrase, Nancy Drew.  You should know why I’m here!  Oh, hey!” Turning his attention to the drunk, snoring Clock Master, Monoputa reached under his veil and wiped a crocodile tear.  “Aww, look at Mr. Drinky Drinky!  This brings me back to the first investigation.  This boozehound’s desperate search for alcohol… ahh, it warms my heart!”

“Cut to the chase,” Catherine stood up to loom over Monoputa, folding her arms as she glared down at him.

“Geez, geez, fine,” Monoputa blew a raspberry at her before continuing.  “Came to drop off the usual goodies!” Reaching behind him, he pulled the evidence bags and the case file out of thin air.  “Think fast!” He frisbeed the case file at Angel Dog and she fumbled with it, but managed to catch it.

Angel Dog opened the folder, her face falling.  “Um…”

“What is it?” Catherine asked.

Angel Dog turned the folder over, holding it open.  “This is empty!”

“Yeah, you’re getting no help from me this time!” Monoputa winked.  “Well, y’know, apart from my boss opening all the doors.  Thought that’d be more than enough.”

“Opening all the doors?” Sarah repeated.

“Is there an echo in here?  YEAH, we opened all the doors!” Monoputa gave Sarah a disbelieving gesture.  “You better thank us!  This is the nicest thing we’ve ever done for you!”

“Go to Hell,” Gregory hissed.

“Suuuuuch a tough crowd…” Monoputa pouted.  “I’m not even gonna hand these to you!” Monoputa tossed the armful of evidence bags onto the ground.  “Buncha ingrates!”

Sarah recalled all of the locked doors in the basement.  A good chunk of them were locked… she could only imagine what lay behind them.  She could only hope it would help them solve the mystery of this hotel once and for all…

“I’ll leave it all in your hands.  I hope you all know I have little to no faith in you!” Monoputa grinned hugely.  “Can’t wait to kill you all at the trial later!”

Cactus Gunman’s shaking hand barely resisted the urge to pull out his gun and fire at the little bastard, but he knew that would spell certain doom for him.

“Catch you on the flip side!” With that, Monoputa darted back into the cupboard, slamming it behind him.

“I can’t stand him…” Angel Dog let out a long sigh.

“I HEARD THAT!” Monoputa’s muffled voice called out from the cupboard.

Everyone ignored him, instead turning their attention to Sarah, who spoke up and said: “We need to look into the locked doors in the basement.”

“Obviously,” Gregory nodded sagely.  “Once Clock Master gets up, we’ll figure this out.”

After a good five minutes of Catherine shaking and prodding at the drunken clock, he finally found his feet again and joined the group.  After a brief discussion, everyone headed down to the basement, Gregory following after Sarah, Angel Dog and Catherine walking hand and hand, and Cactus Gunman supporting the still clumsy Clock Master on his shoulder.

I can only imagine what the basement has in store for us… Sarah felt dread coil around her heart like an ice cold snake.

I don’t know who killed this person… but it wasn’t one of us.

 

_GHS_

 

Cactus Gunman’s stomach churned as he went deeper into the hotel than ever before. The light was low and the air smelled stale and dry. What was it Monoputa and the mastermind had not wanted them to see? And was this a waste of their precious time? Or would they find something that may save their lives? The questions left a sour taste in his mouth.

“H-h-hey Clock Master,” Gunman scrabbled desperately for conversation. “I-It looks like Monoputa really kept his word, no? A-a-a-all these places…th-they are open now.”

The echoes of his voice scouted the new halls before them. Shivering as he went from wooden stairs to hard concrete, the cactus felt a growing urge to turn tail and run.

“I suppose they are!” Clock Master laughed uncomfortably. He patted Gunman on the back. “Doing alright there, Gunman? Not to worry, let ole Clock Master show you the ropes of ‘exploring’. I have a feeling ‘delving into the unknown’ was one of my strong points. You know, before…”

He took a bold step forward and eased into a comfortable pace. Yammering on into the halls was not only an outlet for himself, but a good distraction for Gunman. Without it, his mind would wander in all sorts of fearful directions. Sucking up a huge breath and puffing out his chest, Cactus Gunman followed diligently. I-I’ll sh-sh-show you who is ‘d-d-doing alright’…

The two had hardly gotten far, winding around a handful of corners, when before them opened a long, straight path whose end was obscured in darkness. Numerous paths branched out, alternating left and right, and their ends were masked by the shadows. A low hum drummed in the distance.

“Well… This is quite a problem…” Clock Master looked worried. “It simply isn’t  possible to investigate all these paths in time for the trial!”

Gunman grinned. “Aha, are you so sure? You fail to understand the speed I possess… I am one of the fastest runners in this hotel! I will bet my life!”

The cactus just knew it to be true, both from his many runs around the hotel and a powerful, trustworthy feeling inside him. All his doubts seemed to fade away under the idea that this was something he could do. He began to limber up, radiating confidence, while Clock Master furrowed his brow.

“Now isn’t the time for boisterous claims, Gunman! We must be thorough in our approach!”

Gunman stopped to look at Clock Master. “Boisterous? Heh. It is not boisterous if it is true! Watch this!”

Turning on his heels, he shot down the closest left hand tunnel, leaving nothing but kicked up dust. Clock Master began to turn red with withheld fury, and opened his mouth to shout. Suddenly, his words and thoughts were drowned out by a horrifying high-pitched scream bursting out before being abruptly cut off by a SMACK. Clock Master’s jaw dropped and he raced down the path has friend had taken.

After taking no more than five steps in, the darkness had cleared enough for the clock to see a solid brick wall. At the foot of it was a dizzy Cactus Gunman, who had lurched into it at top speed.

Holding a hand to his head and adjusting his sombrero, Gunman looked up at Clock Master with a mix of emotions including pain, embarrassment and regret, to name a few.

“Good heavens, Gunman!” Clock Master knelt down and tried to feel his forehead before getting pricked. “Ah! Er, how do you feel? Anything broken? Should I fetch Catherine?”

All of his anger was replaced with deep concern and he began to ramble uncomfortably, and about his own experiences. Gunman didn’t know whether to be touched or more embarrassed.

“Clock Master, please, it… it was just a bump.” Gunman insisted as he gritted his teeth, attempting to hold back the extent of his aches.

“R-right, yes, well…” Clock Master awkwardly straightened up and pulled Gunman to his feet. “You certainly are fast. Perhaps if you were to investigate the side paths while I explored this long straight one, we would make progress… What do you say?”

Gunman grinned charismatically. “Heh, of course! I’ll show you how a real runner does it now, I swear!”

He sprinted off to hide his hot embarrassment, running down each fruitless branching path, all of which were dead ends veiled in darkness. Clock Master, in stark contrast to his zipping friend, strolled calmly down the long hall.

“Any luck?” He yelled out.

“They all lead to a wall!” Came the reply from up ahead.

Clock Master clicked his tongue. “Of course that wretch Monoputa and his master would do something so devious…”

“Er, wait! Come here!” Gunman’s voice was strained.

Clock Master jogged forward, biting his lip. His companion was so quick that he has explored all the branching paths on front of him, and now stood outside the last, lone path, gesturing that his friend follow him down.

It was smaller than the others, and smelt slightly mouldy. Less dust was present here too, as though it once was regularly used and cleaned.

“Every other pathway was just the same. But in this one? Here I found this.” Gunman held out a small red book titled ‘-love days- DIARY’.

“A diary? Down here?” Clock Master tossed it around in his grasp. “Did you open it yet, my good man?”

“Me?” The cactus placed a hand on his chest. “This is the diary of a LADY. Look at the hearts, see? I would never do such a thing to a woman!”

Biting his lip, Clock Master held his hand over the cover of the diary. “Ordinarily I would agree but…”

He threw open the cover and Gunman covered his eyes with an ‘eep’. Elegant yet familiar handwriting covered the pages, entry after entry. The clock narrowed his eyes.

“This is…” He finally saw a name signed at the bottom of an entry. His heart stopped. “…Catherine’s?!”

Gunman peered through his hand. “Que?! But Catherine– How could– But she–!”

“NO!” Clock Master raised a hand and paused. “No. I don’t know what this means. Whether she’s… working with the mastermind or is responsible…” His hands began to tremble. “But we mustn’t discuss this now; time is money.”

“Y-yes. Of course.” Gunman reluctantly agreed, though really he would love nothing more than to solve this chaotic puzzle. Whoever caused the death of his sister was going to pay.

Taking a deep, shaky breath, Clock Master placed the book in his evidence bag.

Despite his well meaning words, the two exited the alcove and devoted their attention to nothing but the diary as they silently travelled down their final path,.

A door loomed into view, to their right, before the hall reached a dead end. The atmosphere was eerily cold and the doors were weighted and metal. Neither of the companions said a word as they read the sign above the door: “MORGUE”. Clock Master gulped. A cool tension settled over the two, and after exchanging a look, they beelined for the door. Their minds, feeling like they should say everything, could process nothing.

It was a freezer; a rather long room. Small icicles hung from its ceiling and a cool layer of frost covered the walls. A stretcher and a bucket in the corner were slightly bloodied and smeared with black sludge, as though improperly cleaned. What was worse was the rows of inbuilt compartments in the back wall. There were twenty in total, eleven of which had green lights illuminated on a small control panel. The rest were red.

Gunman shook. “M-m-m-my…”

“Roulette Boy…” Clock Master whispered, eerily still.

In a flurry of green, Cactus Gunman raced forward to a compartment and scrabbled at its corners. He pulled and tugged and yanked at anything he could grab. “MY SISTER! DIOS MIO, MI HERMANAAA!!”

“R-Roulette Boy…” Clock Master repeated, staring blankly at the compartments.

There was no way to tell which case held him; none of them were labelled or showed any other telltale signs. Part of him wanted to rush forward and pry open the compartments too, to hold Roulette Boy’s body, to tell him he was sorry.

He kept a stiff upper lip. Monoputa wanted this. Wanted them to spend time they could be undoing him and his master to be spent unproductively. Wanted them to leave their loved ones unavenged.

“HELP ME, CLOCK MASTER, PLEASE!” Gunman’s voice shook and he’d resorted to banging his fist on the compartment. “PLEASE! I CAN’T!”

“Gunman…” Clock Master sighed. “Let her be.”

“I NEED TO SEE HER AGAIN. I NEED TO.” Gunman pulled Clock Master close by the collar of his shirt. His crazed eyes bulged and sweat beaded his forehead.

“What good will it do, man! Think! We can’t go back to save her and now she’s already– Well, she’s gone! You can’t get her back, Gunman!” Clock Master’s firm voice began to wobble and he took a deep, shaky breath to hold himself together.

Gunman lowered his head. He loosened his grip and slowly fell to his knees. “N-n-no. I need to… I need to…”

His vocabulary had faded. Like a child, he could only repeat what was swirling in his mind, and like a broken man, he could not bear to go on. Clock Master knelt beside him and patted him, very lightly, on the back.

“Please, there’s investigating to be had!” He tried to sound upbeat. “Chin up! As she would want.”

“Don’t speak like you knew her well!” Gunman tried to sound angry.

“We might not have had much personal interaction, yes,” he admitted, “But I always saw she was quite a fiery spirit. She would never have stood for this! Weeping! Come on, get up. For her.”

Gunman sniffled, clambering to his feet. A shaky breath created a cloud in front of him and he rubbed his eye.

“What… What is there to see in here?” He did his best to avoid looking at the compartments. Aside from the gruesome objects, the room was practically barren.

“Perhaps… this is all that’s to be seen.” Clock Master murmured. “There are still eleven lights, and so, the eleven bodies of our friends. What we are truly dealing with, it must be Fritz’s body. But where are the old guests of this hotel?”

 

_GHS_

 

Angel Dog took a shaky breath. The rooms Catherine and Angel Dog were assigned were two locked from the moment the basement was open, on the other side of the block containing the lost and found and laundry room. Everyone had walked past at least once during the initial investigation, and upon realising that no rooms in this back alley were accessible, it was promptly left alone for months on end.

This must mean they hold the key to finding out what’s going on… Who knows what we’ll find.

After some deliberation with Catherine, the two began with the door on the left. A sliver of unease crawled up Angel Dog’s spine as the door, once stuck fast, now swung loosely with ease.

The musty smell was soon replaced with the scent of medicine and the room was surprisingly clean.  Everything on top of the desks were stacked neatly and perfectly organized.  Not a single thing was out of place… but there were some concerning apparati all over the room.

There was a surgical table next to something that looked like a refrigerator marked with BIOHAZARD.  Angel Dog didn’t even want to know what was in there, even though she could hear Devil Dog in the back of her head chomping at the bit to see what was inside.  She refused to let her come out.  She had important things to do.

There were enormous, sharp looking tools laid out on a cart next to the surgical table, complete with needles, which were making Catherine sweat and clench her fists.  Hopefully she wouldn’t get any funny ideas.  Most strangely, there was some kind of tube adjacent to the operating table.  It was huge and filled with a strange blue, luminescent fluid.  When the two women got closer to investigate it, they saw a vague shape floating inside, the silhouette unmistakably similar to Monoputa.

“Is that him…?” Angel Dog whispered, squinting to get a better look at the suspended creature.

“Can’t be.  That little bastard is everywhere…” Catherine grumbled the last part, not wanting him to hear her and come jumping out of the fridge to reprimand her.  “They wouldn’t keep him in suspended animation like that.  It must be a prototype.  Or some kind of spare…?”

Angel Dog couldn’t help chuckling a bit.  “Of course the mastermind would have to make his own lackey.  There’s no way anyone would choose to do that job willingly.” Angel Dog fluttered over to the desk, reaching a paw towards one of the notebooks.  “The mastermind must have blackmailed this Dr. Fritz person.  Or threatened them.”

“No kidding…” Every time Catherine heard Dr. Fritz’s name, she felt a pang of familiarity.  She was a nurse, after all, and she couldn’t remember a damn thing about her past besides that.  She wouldn’t be surprised if there was some kind of connection… but the thought that it could have easily been her in Dr. Fritz’s place made her stomach churn.

Angel Dog picked up the notebook and flipped through it.  It was all written in extremely messy cursive, most of it in terms Angel Dog couldn’t understand.  After sighing, she offered it to Catherine and said “Can you make any sense of this?”

After Catherine looked at the scrawlings for a few minutes, she bit her lip.  “I don’t know too much about the technical aspects of surgery, but…” She turned the notebook towards Angel Dog, her nail resting on the phrase “invincible life form.” “… this seems to be showing up quite a lot.”

“Invincible life form…?” Angel Dog read aloud.  “That’s… not the mastermind… is it?” The idea of the mastermind being completely unkillable made Angel Dog’s stomach churn.

Catherine shook her head and flipped through the pages once again, stopping on one right in the middle.  In it was a crude sketch of Monoputa and his anatomy, as well as a list of various chemicals and other things Angel Dog had no idea about.  “Monoputa.  He’s unkillable.  No wonder he threatened us so much about causing harm to him…” Catherine slipped the notebook into her evidence bag.  “He’d be able to bounce right back and kill us for even trying.”

“That little…” Angel Dog clenched her fists, the tips of her ears turning purple.  She relaxed when Catherine grasped onto one of her hands, giving her a soothing but pale smile.

“It never happened, and now it most certainly never will, so there’s no use worrying about it.” Catherine looked directly into Angel Dog’s prismatic eyes and Angel Dog’s glare completely softened.

After looking around the room for a while, they came across what seemed like a closet built into the wall.  Catherine opened it up and it was filled with lab coats and hazmat suits identical to the one the body they found earlier was wearing.

“Well…” Angel Dog breathed, grasping onto the sleeve of one of the suits.  “…looks like we found our victim.”

“I had a feeling,” Catherine nodded.  “The question is… what did they do to deserve this?”

“Maybe we’ll find our answer in the other room we need to investigate?” Angel Dog pointed at the exit back into the hallway.  Catherine agreed, and they headed back into the hall.

They approached the other door, cautiously opening it, both of them wincing before taking in the room before them.

There wasn’t anything disgusting, shocking, or dreadful behind the door, like both of them were expecting.  It was a fairly standard bedroom, very similar to the ones they themselves slept in.  There was a bed, a wardrobe, and a desk, along with a bookshelf packed with medical encyclopedias.  Like in the laboratory, everything was neat and tidy.  There wasn’t even a trace of dust.

The two women found nothing of note until Catherine opened up the desk drawer and found a locked journal.  Catherine was able to easily slice through the thick strip of fabric holding the journal shut with one of her nails, and she and Angel Dog began rifling through it, cheek to cheek.

Most of the journal consisted of more medical terms detailing how Dr. Fritz felt about the progress with creating Monoputa.  There was a failed attempt beforehand, apparently there were two Prompters that had gotten roped into the experiments, and the first turned out to completely be against what the mastermind and Fritz were trying to do.  Fritz considered her a danger to their plans, so he placed her in suspended animation.  She was still proof that he was able to modify subjects and keep them alive, however, so he gave her the name Monopi.

The journal went on to discuss Monoputa’s creation, including a few snide comments about how much the doctor detested Monoputa’s attitude.  After turning a page, though, Catherine and Angel Dog hit the jackpot.

Fritz was talking about the mastermind!!

“Sometimes I’m just tempted to try and run for the hills, but I know I’d be killed for it.  Why is my boss even doing this…?  Does he not feel special or individual enough?  Bastard was the envy of everyone around him.  He has no reason to want so many people dead.”

“The envy of everyone around him, huh?” Angel Dog read aloud.  “Hmm… doesn’t sound like anyone we know.”

“I’m not surprised that the mastermind is a man, though…” Catherine shook her head.

All other allusions to and mentions of the mastermind were mostly Fritz griping about him being pompous or disgusting with the occasional comment about being mortified at the executions that were happening.  Fritz had apparently watched every single trial at the mastermind’s side, completely against his will, watching as the mastermind reveled in his own sick thrills.

The last few pages were particularly shocking.  Fritz had simply written “Things have changed.  I can’t believe I have to do this.  But I need to… it’s either her or me.”

The final two were just filled with barely readable shaky handwriting that was the same phrases over and over.

“I FAILED. I’M GOING TO DIE. I FAILED. I’M GOING TO DIE. I FAILED. I’M GOING TO DIE. I FAILED. I’M GOING TO DIE.”

“This is…” Angel Dog covered her mouth in shock.  She wasn’t sure how to feel; this person tried to kill one of her closest friends, but he was completely exploited and manipulated by the mastermind.  She couldn’t help feeling a pang of sympathy.

“This is really important, that’s what it is,” Catherine slipped the journal into her evidence bag.

The two women spent more time searching through the room, but didn’t find anything else important.  They were more than satisfied with discovering the journal, and even though they knew they found important proof, they couldn’t help feeling cold dread close around their hearts.

It was going to be hell waiting for the trial to start.

 

_GHS_

 

Sarah and Gregory bade good luck to Catherine and Angel Dog on the first floor of the basement before splitting up to investigate. They took a sharp left in front of the playroom, and turned the corner to a cold, reinforced door. As they drew closer, without any warning, it swung open to reveal blackness.

They approached cautiously. The hall was dimly lit and smelled faintly of candle wax. Shivering, Sarah felt pinpricks of coldness scurry over her skin.

“Is something bothering you, my dear?” Gregory leaned closer to her. “I thought arriving so close to our goal might relieve some of your worries… My old bones haven’t felt this alive since God knows when!”

“Y-yeah,” she admitted. “I just remember last time I was here…”

Being locked, everyone had avoided this area, having no use for it. But she remembered this place only too well.

_….“Chef, what’s wrong?” Sarah asked, and his head snapped toward her, his glowing eyes narrowed to angry red slits._

_“I CAN’T. OPEN. THE DOOR!” He howled…_

“Chef came so close to finding out what really lay behind here. He was so determined to find out. And now the door has opened without us even lifting a finger.” Sarah shook her head. “It’s too unfair. We have to do this. For them.”

“Quite the fiery spirit you have there, Sarah,” Gregory smiled. “It’s certainly a sight to behold. No wonder the mastermind seems rather…  unsettled.”

Sarah smiled and looked at her friend appreciatively, then gestured for him to follow as she started forward.

The darkness gave way to an eerie gloom shrouding a cobblestone hallway. Candles were far and few between and the layers of dust indicated this hall wasn’t often in use.

Sarah peered behind the door. An intricate and complex locking mechanism was clicked out of place. No wonder Hell’s Chef couldn’t break through…

The hall stretched into the distance and around the corner. After a glance at Gregory, Sarah knew this was their only option. They walked down long tunnels, down vigorous twists and turns and open archways. The winding halls stretched on and on and the travellers’ fatigue grew and grew. It must have been a few tedious minutes before Sarah came across a grateful but daunting change of scenery.

“This certainly is quite ominous, isn’t it? Which will you choose, Sarah?” Gregory peered at her.

As much as she valued his presence, Gregory could still have a very unnerving stare. She dragged her gaze away from his to the clearing before them.

To the right, an archway lead to more winding halls. It stretched away into the shadows, as was all too familiar, and Sarah could sense what lay down there was just as dark.

In front of them, a large, wooden set of double doors loomed before them. The door handles were two comically sculpted skulls with horns and a large ring hanging from the teeth. Sarah shivered. Whatever lay behind here, Sarah could only imagine it was something they had been searching for.

“Well?” Gregory pressed.

Sarah paused. “We probably don’t have much time, so we have to make the most of it!” She clenched her fist and her eyes glittered with determination. “If I know anything about Monoputa, it’s that he has a thing for theatrics and the mastermind probably does too. We’ll start here.”

She pointed an unwavering finger to the massive doors.

The room beyond was wide, but slim and overall unappealing. would have been an anticlimax if it weren’t for the brilliant redwood staircase.

“You were certainly right about the theatrics,” Gregory muttered absentmindedly. “A fancy door AND a staircase? With expensive wood at that. He’s almost as, well, flashy as Mama.”

Sarah furrowed her brow. “I’d hope this, the hints about his personality, would help us get some clues about who he is… But I don’t suppose we could have met him before. This just makes everything harder…”

How are we supposed to find out any secrets about him or what happened to us if we’re starting from scratch? Already I feel like this maze was just a way to waste time… Argh, for all we know these whole TUNNELS could be a hoax too!

She jolted back to reality as the stairs creaked. Gregory stood on them with a smile.

“That’s rather the mastermind’s way, isn’t it? A man truly gifted at his craft. But even crafters will always have something to learn. Come along! I’m not risking being execution food for your sentimentality!”

He raced away up the steps and Sarah, reeling, trying to make sense of his metaphor like a dog makes sense of engineering, shook her head before following him up. Her mind found itself stupefied once more at the beautiful setting.

“Goodness me… Marble!” Gregory gasped. “This is just like Mama would have wanted!”

He looked away and mumbled something about her being a hag, but Sarah still sensed his longing. Pushing that out of her mind, the picturesque and perfectly hidden palace put her at a loss.

The magnificent hall of green and white marble radiated elegance and high standards. It smelled of cleaning supplies, as though the impeccable checkered floor was well looked after, and the pillars stood sturdy and refined in the candlelight. At the end of the hall, before the path turned its corner, a picture stood above an altar.

Sarah gulped. “The mastermind…”

Monoputa, arms crossed, leaned smugly against a pair of familiar black pants, which took up most of the frame. The body they lead to was despairingly out of the frame. Together, the two sadists stood against a dark background, oozing power.

“I certainly hope he isn’t as intimidating in the flesh…” Gregory said uneasily.

Sarah clenched her fists. “Even if he is, we can’t let that stop us. Come on.”

After ogling the marble staircase, the two escaped the level to another upper floor with a glamorous vermillion door opposite some boarded up windows. With a final deep breath for bravery, Sarah swung it open.

Two bookshelves stood on each side of the room, filled with mechanical maintenance and vanity products alike. Piles of clothes and souls in jars were placed sporadically on the remaining shelves, along with various books. Just opposite the door, a wall mounted mirror hung above a messy desk.

“That’s quite the clutter…” mused Gregory.

Sarah vaguely hummed in agreement. “And a lot of souls… Whose are they, do you think?”

She approached a bottle and watched the red orb of light swirl around excitedly. A strange wave of loss and sentimentality washed over her. “These souls… they all had lives once. Perhaps we even knew them.” She growled in frustration. “If only we could speak to them! They could tell us what we need to win the trial!”

“Perhaps they are even our friends…” Gregory mused.

The girl pursed her lips thoughtfully. “Death took the souls each time someone died. He might have kept them himself, but in any case… I have a feeling these guys are counting on us.”

She stroked the soul container, and its movements lulled into a peaceful wobble. She sighed wistfully.

“Alright, let’s be smart about this, Gregs.” She frowned with determination. “Stick to what you think will be valuable, okay? There’s probably a lot of useless stuff in here.”

With a five year old’s grin, Gregory grabbed a bottle of some anti rusting spray and placed it in his medicine bag. “You never know, my dear. Perhaps everything here holds secrets…”

Sarah sighed but smiled despite it all. I don’t know what goes on in that rat’s head, but as long as he’s quick about it, I suppose it can’t hurt.

Quickly, she dashed to the messy desk. Papers were strewn about, along with a few cans of body spray and some dorky, bulky reading glasses. Like a machine, Sarah scanned every page, while Gregory rummaged out of sight, his feet pattering and floorboards creaking.

Suddenly, one all too familiar set of pages snatched her attention. It can’t be… is this, the rest of the list?!

_Monoputa: Alive_

_Dead Body: Dead_

_T.V. Fish: Alive_

_Bonsai Kabuki: Unknown_

_Cactus Gunman: Alive_

_Cactus Girl: Dead_

_Judgement Boy Gold: Dead_

_Judgement Boy #1: Dead_

_Judgement Boy #2: Dead_

_Judgement Boy #3: Released_

_Judgement Boy #4: Dead_

Sarah tore her eyes away from the list, knowing the time to piece this together was not now. Excitedly stuffing it in her evidence bag, she couldn’t help but grin.

“Gregory, I think we might have caught our big break!” She almost squealed.

“I tend to agree, my dear. You may want to pay attention to this…” Gregory pushed asides some souls on the shelf and ruffled some papers.

Taking the papers from him, Sarah wasn’t sure what she expected, but it wasn’t this. On the old parchment, the word “~CONTRACT~” headed the page, before going into vigorous detail with an astounding vernacular, over some sort of agreement.

“I really can’t make much sense of this,” Sarah confessed, embarrassed.

“Look, down the bottom!” Gregory thrust a wrinkled finger to the signature on the dotted line.

Sarah gasped. “This is Death’s contract?!”

“He did mention having an agreement with Monoputa long ago. Perhaps this is what he meant.”

Sarah shook her head to clear it. “We don’t have time to read it now. Come on, put it in your evidence bag, there’s still more to explore. And who knows when that damn prompter will call an end to our investigation…”

Their minds reeling, Gregory and Sarah chattered, trying to piece together what they had seen as they ambled through the marble halls and back to the junction. Down the new winding tunnel they fled, thoughts still flying through her head.

Souls, the list of survivors and victims… How are we going to make sense of any of it? Is the mastermind even on that list? It may be outdated or untrue by this time! And who are all these people!? Ugh, it must be the key and yet I don’t know how to make sense of it!

“My dear?” The old rat pried.

Sarah jumped. “S-sorry. Yes?”

“It appears we’ve reached a rather… intriguing obstruction.”

Sarah shuddered. She hadn’t even realised the path had come to an end, but to their right, an imposing door loomed. It was covered in stubby metal spikes that jutted out horizontally. As if the message of doom wasn’t obvious enough. What we need here is more drama.

“I find it rather difficult to tell with this mastermind whether he’s trying to pull our leg, or we should really be afraid,” Gregory chimed.

Sarah steeled herself. “From a despair freak like him, we should expect the worst.”

Like pulling off a bandaid, Sarah ripped the door open.

Gregory let out a small yelp. “Oh I don’t like the look of this one bit…”

Air filled with dust and heat from overheated machinery grazed her skin and she coughed, waving away the specks in her face. She could barely see and smelled the smoke from the recently doused candles strewn about on the walls. To adjust, she squinted and gradually grew accustomed to the blue light from the dozens of monitors crammed into the centre of the room. A little stool with a luxurious looking cushion sat on its lonesome in front of the screens.

“What is this?” She asked.

Gregory approached the monitors with as much caution as a rat could have and his remaining eye bulged. “S-Sarah! This is surveillance!”

She dashed over and scanned the cameras while Gregory continued with a clenched fist. “That sneaky devil! No wonder how he knew how every case played out or what we were up to. I bet when he wasn’t in that luxury compartment, he was here!”

“I don’t know how he copes with how stuffy it is…” Sarah scrunched her nose. “But you’re right, this must be how! But what I don’t understand is… we never saw any cameras.”

“Perhaps they were well hidden. This mastermind isn’t beyond killing, don’t forget - he could very well be a master of at such an unconventional art as well.”

Sarah made a grunt of agreement and returned her attention to the machines. Below the screens was a large panel filled with switches and buttons, none of which gave an indication of their purpose. The temptation to press some was killing her, but for someone as sadistic as the mastermind, they probably had the capability to be incredibly dangerous, so she refrained.

Glancing back up, she studied the cameras more closely for some hint or incriminating evidence. The bathrooms, the communal bath house, bedrooms… Everything section of the hotel was on a screen except for the mastermind’s private quarters. But one unseen screen caught her attention.

A misty cemetery with a dirt path lead to large building. It had a double doored entrance that looked strangely familiar. No way…

“Is that… outside?!” Sarah reeled in shock.

Suddenly, a short burst of sound, like metal being scraped across stone, followed by some scrabbling, wavered through the room. Sarah instantly tensed up and froze. All thoughts of outside were vaporised. Her heart pounded in her ears. It sounded close, as though it was behind the monitors.

“Gregory…?” She called uncomfortably, reaching out for support. “Did you hear-”

The old rat’s eyes were trained on the outside camera and vacant. Sweat beaded his forehead and he clenched his fists.

“Gregory House…” He breathed.

Sarah looked back to the screen. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Just above the familiar door, the words “GREGORY HOUSE” were engraved.

“Wh-what?” She fumbled with words like wet soap and looked to Gregory in fear and awe.

“I…I remember…” He whispered.

Sarah grabbed his arm and pulled herself close. “What? What do you remember?!”

Gregory’s eyes refocused and he looked at her in a way he never had. It was deeper than recognition. Reminiscent. Sarah waited with bated breath.

“Excuuuuuse me~!” Monoputa burst open the door and pushed between the two. “Ever heard of being considerate, Nancy Drew? Make way!”

“Wh- hey! You can’t-” She quickly glanced back at Gregory, who was still lost in thought.

“What.” Monoputa shrugged exasperatedly. “What can’t I do? Ohhh… Were you two having a moment~? How lewd, Sarah! And here we thought you had a thing for Gunman! Cheating is very naughty, I’ll have you know! Hehehe!”

Sarah opened her mouth to protest but quickly shut it. Whatever Gregory had to say, she didn’t want this devil in black and white to hear.

“Yeah, yeah, that’s right, keep your trap shut. You look better that way.” He threw her a devilish grin and jumped with ease onto the stool. Clearing his throat, he pressed one of the buttons and a mic descended from the ceiling.

“Alright, you little deviants, I hope you’re ready, because it’s triiiial tiiiime~!” Monoputa sang. “Last one to the elevator is the last to get executed when you all LOSE! So send those little legs running and kick the despair into overdrive! Get rolling!”

“But–!” Sarah’s eyes were wide.

There is still so much more I need to settle! This can’t be it!

“Hey!” Monoputa frowned as the microphone returned to its hiding place. “Didn’t you hear that handsome guy on the loudspeaker? That means GO.”

Sarah frowned. “N-!”

“GO!”

She scowled and grabbed Gregory’s hand, cold and clammy. Still vacant, she pulled him out of the room and shut it behind her.

“Whatever it is you have to say, let’s leave it for the trial,” she murmured in a low voice. “Monoputa isn’t cutting us any slack.”

Gregory nodded in agreement, but his eyes were still distant, as though captivated by his thoughts. It’s so unlike him to not make some sort of quip.

Sarah sighed. “I just hope we’re ready. This is our last stand. What we know now will either save us or get us killed.”


	33. The Mastermind

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _We’re approaching the finish line…_   
>  _Sorry things have slowed down a bit. Between Veneesla currently travelling and lack of motivation on my end, the story’s updates have been at a snail’s pace. But rest assured that it will be seen through to completion!_   
>  _Amazing art this time is by @shortlifelongart and @disgustiphage!_   
>  _I really hope you enjoy the chapter. Time to meet someone special._

Sarah led Gregory up the basement staircase to the ground floor. Sweat beaded her forehead and despite her best efforts, her knees knocked and her footing was unsteady.

Every trial came with its fair share of pressure, Sarah knew that, and she had had complete and utter faith in her friends to pull through; but this time was different. She had been acutely aware of how different this investigation had been, with the case file being completely empty and all the doors unlocked. _Was it to throw us for a loop and get us so distracted with new information that we can’t uncover the killer? Or was what we found actually relevant? If so, how? Why?_ The mastermind was getting too involved. Something was wrong.  All this stress was causing Sarah’s teeth to chatter.

She shook her head to clear it. _Focus, Sarah! We’ll think about this when we get to the trial…_

Looking back at Gregory, his hand still loosely in hers, Sarah saw he seemed less engulfed in memories and more like he was rifling through all the files in his brain to work something out. Upon sensing her gaze, Gregory met her eyes.

“I’m sorry, I do apologise for my behaviour, my dear. But you look like you’ve seen a ghost,” he said half-heartedly.

Sarah knew he wasn’t attempting to make conversation but instead trying to reassure her. She squeezed his hand tighter and smiled encouragingly. He was right. She couldn’t let anyone know how afraid she was. Now was the time to be brave. Now was the time for action.

Letting out a final, tense breath, she pulled Gregory up to the top stair to see the waiting crew. Clock Master looked sombre but determined, occasionally giving Gunman, who visibly shaken, comforting pats on the back. Sarah’s hands fell to her side. _What had happened?_

“Hello, Sarah,” Angel Dog smiled hopefully, fluttering by Catherine’s side who was smiling somewhat confidently. “I think we found some good evidence-”

“WELL, took ya long enough, _Nancy,”_ Monoputa appeared nearby, leaning on a wall and grinning smugly to himself. “It’s been SOOO long since we last spoke, I’m _dying_ to hear about your travels.”

Catherine scoffed. “That’s enough, you little shrimp. You know what we came here to do. Now let us in, we have plenty to discuss.”

She gave her evidence bag a light tap and lightly pursed her lips.

“Tch, and who put YOU in charge, Queen Bee? Ms. Nurseypants? Madame Injects-a-lot?” Monoputa sneered and Catherine turned bright red.

“Monoputa…” Clock Master said warningly.

The little prompter glanced around at the angry, or in Gunman’s case, distressed, faces and feigned hurt. “What, is there not even a little smidge of friendliness for old Monoputa?” He said, a hand on his heart. “After the boss and I housed you? Gave you all the facilities you need?”

“Monoputa!” Sarah’s eyes glinted like a steel blade. “That’s enough.”

Monoputa growled to himself but seemed resigned. The elevator slid open. “Alright, get in, ya loons. But just so you know, this trial is gonna be one I won’t wanna miss! After all, the victim’s body is awfully confusing, hey Gunman? Don’tcha just wish… you could see her again? Oh, I mean _it._ Hehe, your sister is WAAAY dead, my bad, ahahahaha!!”

The cactus tried to stutter out a defensive comeback, his throat choked up, but ran as fast as he could into the elevator instead, sniffling like a puppy with a cold.

Sarah locked eyes with Catherine, who nodded back at her. “Alright, let’s get this over with.”

Everyone shuffled into the elevator, and as Monoputa pulled the lever to let it descend, Sarah edged her way to Gunman’s side.

“Listen, I don’t know what happened here but… It’ll be okay. Whatever happens, we’ll do it together, right?” She slipped her hand into his. The sniffling stopped.

“I… I think it would be better if I didn’t dwell on it,” Cactus Gunman dabbed at his eyes with his poncho.  “That little…” Cactus Gunman shivered at the thought of Monoputa overhearing him insulting him and swallowed loudly.  “…well, Monoputa sure knows how to push my buttons.  Let’s leave it at that.”

“Oh, don’t listen to him,” Sarah gave Cactus Gunman’s hand a gentle squeeze, doing her best not to puncture herself with his needles. “He knows how to push _everyone’s_ buttons.  Besides, we have a lot of amazing people on our side, don’t we?  We outnumber him and the mastermind.  Two heads might be better than one, but six heads…”

“… are most definitely better than two,” The corners of Cactus Gunman’s mustache lifted up as he smiled in spite of everything. “Don’t forget Devil Dog, senorita. That’s seven.” Angel Dog jumped a bit at the sound of that name and wrung her wand a bit, glitter falling onto the floor.

Sarah couldn’t help snickering at that. “You’re right.  And, thankfully, I have a feeling she’s on our side this time.”

“Let’s hope,” Cactus Gunman shuddered a bit.

“I’m scared, but…” Sarah leaned forward and gave Cactus Gunman a gentle kiss on the cheek.  “…somehow, I have a good feeling about this.”

Cactus Gunman couldn’t help gasping and he turned beet red.

“That’s for good luck,” Sarah grinned at Gunman and he felt his heart jump into his throat.

“Be careful, Sarah,” Gregory let out his sinister chuckle. “Remember what happened to the last person you kissed in this elevator-OW!”

Clock Master had smacked Gregory in the back of the head full force.  “Whose side are you on?!”

“I-I was just trying to lighten the mood!” Gregory rubbed the back of his head, hissing through his teeth in pain.

“You were never very good at that,” Catherine shook her head at Gregory.

“Cut me some slack…” Gregory sighed.  “I’ve been through a _lot_ today.”

“We _all_ have, Gregory, but… I’m not going to dwell on your insensitive comment.” Catherine turned toward Sarah. “Sarah, you have a point about six heads-”

“Seven heads,” Gunman piped up.

_“Seven_ heads being better than two. And I _know_ I have evidence that’s going to save us.  All of us.” Catherine patted her evidence bag.

“ _All_ of us?” Sarah and Gunman chorused, their eyes filling with hope.

Catherine smiled and folded her arms confidently. “Here’s hoping.”

“I believe in all of us,” Angel Dog chimed in, resting her wand on her temple.  “Even _her,_ a little bit.  She hasn’t been so hot on Monoputa lately.”

“We need all the help we can get,” Clock Master stuck out his arm, his palm facing the floor.  “But we’re a lucky bunch.  We all made it this far, and we’ll all make it through this.”

“Heh, wish I could drink to that,” Gregory put his own hand on top of Clock Master’s.

“We’ve got this!” Angel Dog added her paw to the stack. Catherine smiled at her affectionately and joined in.

Gunman grinned despite his tearstained face and shuffled forward to join everyone else.

“We’ve been through so many trials,” Sarah said as she topped them all off.  “It’s time to end this.”

“Hear, hear!” everyone chorused, raising their formerly stacked hands in the air just as the elevator door opened.

“How heartwarming,” Monoputa’s voice was just dripping with sarcasm from his place on the throne.  “Now hurry the heck up!!  I wanna kill all of you already!”

Unsurprisingly, the trial room’s walls had changed appearance for perhaps the final time. The _Iwata’s Ambition_ was no longer trudging its endless loop around the walls, and instead, the most bland decoration the guests had seen in many months was in its stead. Black and white. Small, barely discernable tiles were spread all over, one half white and the other black, making an odd mosaic which almost made Monoputa’s throne camouflaged. But as per usual, the throne, bonsai trees and the circle of podiums still remained untouched.

There was, however, one slight difference…The one, usually empty podium now had a portrait of the acid-burned face of the latest victim. A red X was hashed across their face.

Gunman winced.  He wasn’t going to enjoy having to look at that for the whole trial…

Once everyone took their positions, Monoputa leaned back in his chair, resting his cheek against a fist.  “The victim is… a mystery.  How they died?  A mys-ter-y~! Evidence?  A happy~ happy~ mystery~!  It’s all in your hands, my pathetic little charges.  Good luck!”

“Alright, everyone,” Sarah took the lead.  “I want you all to refrain from pointing fingers and making assumptions.  We barely know _anything_ about the victim, we barely know anything about the mastermind, and we barely know anything about the murderer.  So present your evidence and don’t go blaming each other unless you have undeniable proof.”

“I’ll show what I have last,” Catherine smiled as she placed her evidence bag on the floor by her side.  “It’ll make an excellent pièce de résistance.”

“Got it, Catherine,” Sarah turned to Gregory. “But maybe we should start with you. You seemed distressed by what we…” She swallowed. “What we saw. Are you okay?”

“Not… particularly,” Gregory hugged himself, bending forward like he was in pain.

“Hang on,” Angel Dog frowned. “What’s going on? Is there something you’re not telling us?” She pointed her wand to Sarah, the sharp movement sending glitter to the floor. She didn’t sound accusing, however, just interested or perhaps curious.

“Mm… You… can tell everyone what happened, Sarah.” Gregory’s voice was strained.  Just thinking about it still made his head spin.

Sarah frowned. “Well, I’m not really sure what to make of it myself, but on the top basement level, we found what we think is a surveillance room. There were cameras pointing to all areas of the house including, well, what we think is the outside…”

Angel Dog’s eyes widened and her wings almost missed a beat. “Wh-what did you say?”

“Surely that’s just a trick,” Clock Master scoffed, although he looked uncertain. “Come on, the mastermind would never risk _that._ I wouldn’t in my drunkest days!” He chuckled.

“Well, that must be why the mastermind kept the room locked,” Sarah said.  “They needed to keep tabs on us somehow; they probably didn’t anticipate us ever seeing it, or anywhere else he’d hidden.”

“Although it begs the question why unlocking those areas was necessary at all,” Catherine paused. “What devious trick could they be up to…”

Monoputa giggled. “You won’t get a peep out of me! Now keep going! Or else I’ll get boooored~.” He raised his gavel ever so slightly.

Cactus Gunman became visibly worried. “Er, w-well, were there any other buildings around?” He asked. Not knowing what was going on made cold dread coil in his stomach.

“Just this place, as far as I could tell,” Sarah shrugged. “And a graveyard.”

“A graveyard?! Why that?!” Gunman’s hands shot up to hide his face.

“This mastermind is already a sick man. I doubt he needs a reason,” Catherine’s lip curled in disgust. “Unless it’s to bury our bodies.”

“Don’t be so sure of that, my dear Catherine,” Clock Master winked knowingly. “Gunman and I have news on that.”

“Hold that thought, Clock Master,” Sarah interrupted, raising a finger. Clock Master’s pride looked slightly hurt and she mouthed an apology. “But there’s something else I need to mention. The cameras also showed the front entrance to this place. There was this _huge_ sign that said “Gregory House”, of all things!”

“So _that’s_ what has you so worked up…” Catherine stroked her chin in thought.

Angel Dog pursed her lips. “Don’t suppose you know anything about this, do you, old rat?”

“Now, now, no need to be hasty,” Gregory shifted uncomfortably. “I-I was just as surprised as you were! But now it’s all becoming clear… Why T.V. Fish only showed me static instead of a memory, this sign… I believe, my dear, I used to work in this house. In fact, _I_ was the owner.”

“Gregory, you’re-you’re regaining your memory?! What do you remember?!” Sarah gasped.

“Not much, my dear. I remember… Lots of people. No one specific.” He grabbed hold of his hair, feeling sick. “The rest… Is a blur, I’m afraid.”

Sarah felt for the rat. She could tell he was really trying. “Thanks anyway, Gregory. I just thought… There could be links in your memories to the mastermind.” She confessed.

“Hey hey HEY!” Monoputa chimed in. “Is this a MURDER trial or not?! You’re too off topic! Get to the good stuff already!”

“Well, señor, Sarah did say we have little information,” Gunman pointed out tentatively.

“I don’t caaaare~. Make it work! Or would you like to start the voting early~?” Monoputa grinned. “I can arrange that~.”

Catherine sniffed. “Well does anyone find the state of the body a little abnormal? Burnt face and no means to identify them. Even their portrait is of their burnt face,” she gestured to the X-ed out picture across the room. “Whoever it was didn’t want them identified.”

“It might even be the mastermind!” Gunman gestured wildly. “Besides him and Monoputa, there is _no one_ else in this building with us. If Monoputa is right there, it _must_ be him.”

“Mm, this goes quite nicely with what we found.” Clock Master puffed out his chest like a rooster in an all too familiar fashion. “As _I_ was saying earlier, Gunman and I found the _real_ place the bodies of our..our friends are being kept. Not a graveyard, but a _morgue._ Right here in the bottom of the basement!”

“You saw the bodies? Of _everyone?”_ Angel Dog gasped.

Gunman’s head bowed. His voice was barely more than a whisper. “No… No we did not.”

Clock Master looked uncomfortable. “Yes, well, we only saw the containers the bodies were stored in. But it was most definitely a morgue! And the number of bodies there was exactly the same as the number of people we’ve lost. So Gunman must be right, the dead person must be the mastermind!”

“I’m afraid I’ll have to refute this,” Gregory smiled, wagging a finger. “My friend, Sarah and I may have found the key to identifying the victim - and perhaps the killer: a list of all the people the mastermind has known. There are plenty of names on there, many of which I don’t recall. We must assume some of them are involved…”

“Is this alright? Can we even look at a list like this? If it’s related to the mastermind, perhaps it’s off-limits.” Angel Dog glanced at Monoputa, who smirked.

“You got that right, sister. Has Devil Dog been whispering sweet things about me in your ear?” He winked slyly.

“Stop this, Monoputa! She has had enough.” Gunman trembled, his voice stern.

Clock Master sniffed. “That can’t be right. This game has been vile from the start, but there’s always been enough to solve the case. _Think_ about it. If some new player has entered the game, then this new evidence and these floors must have become available because they are _essential.”_

_“But_ the case file was still empty,” Catherine continued her earlier point. “Surely we would have needed that information.”

Clock Master’s face turned red. “Come now, Monoputa wouldn’t make this _unsolvable!”_

“Hehe, can you imagine the despair that would cause? Watching you hopeless losers scrape around in the dark?” The bliss on Monoputa’s face was cringeworthy; a stream of drool was oozing down his chin. He quickly wiped it away. “Ahh, but my boss loooves despair too much, they couldn’t let you keep it for yourselves! Some despair for you, and some despair for us~.”

“Stop speaking in riddles! What does that _mean?!”_ Clock Master fumed.

“The way I see it,” Catherine thought aloud, “the mastermind needed to make the entirety of the hotel accessible so we could solve the case. But he compensated. We had to start from scratch, have no foundation.”

“Bingo~!” Monoputa pointed to her and winked.

“So we had all the pieces we needed available, it’s just up to us - whether we’re smart enough to put them together.” Sarah confirmed.

Monoputa fingergunned. “Sharp as ever, Nancy. Though I gotta warn you. You chances are sli-i-im~!.”

“Then Clock Master must be right, so there should be no qualms with using that list of ours, my friend,” Gregory had a dark glint in his eye. “Especially if we feel it is essential for this case.”

Monoputa’s lip curled. “Fffffiiine… But make your point snappy, bucko.”

“Sarah, the list, if you please,” the rat kindly asked.

She pulled the papers out from her evidence bag. “Well, I didn’t get much of a chance to look through this earlier, but as far as I can tell, everyone listed is dead, apart from the six of us, T.V. Fish, and a few people that were “released”.” She narrowed her eyes. “And one person who’ status is unknown, named Bonsai Kabuki.”

The evil little Prompter scratched his head. “Yeah, the boss and I don’t know squat about that fantasist. You can forget about him, even we don’t know.”

Angel Dog pursed her lips. “Now _that_ smells like a trick.”

“Normally I’d taunt you about that but he’s been too much of a pest for me to care.” Monoputa waved his hand flippantly, looking bored. “Move _on_ already.”

Sarah exchanged a glance with Catherine, their expressions distrustful, but they remained quiet.

“Well I don’t see what harm that fish could do, eh? It is only a fish.” Gunman chuckled.

“Plus that motive about memories we had… That little guy seemed pretty wrapped around Monoputa’s finger.” Angel Dog tapped her wand into her open palm as she thought. “We know the body wasn’t fish-shaped too. And is it even alive?”

“Well there’s someone else I’m yet to mention that we’ve known about for a long time. Someone who was listed as “Alive” as well: Dr. Fritz.” Said Sarah. “We need to consider them in this game.”

“Now we’re getting to the good things,” Catherine grinned.

“Of course! How could I forget?” Clock Master smacked his forehead with an open palm. “I was just saying down in the morgue that I always suspected that body was his! Well, I bet old Monoputa didn’t even know we knew of him!”

“Heh, are you kidding me, gramps? I’ve known you guys had your suspicions from, what, case three? Why do you think I had Gregory Mama knock off that stitched-up cat?” Monoputa covered up his mouth. “Oopsies, there goes my secreeet~.”

“R-r-really?!” Gunman gaped. “N-N-Neko Zombie knew of this?!”

“That explains the letter I found when I first found out about Fritz…” Sarah murmured.

_To whoever finds this,_

_I stole this right from under Monoputa’s nose.  He’ll probably have my head for it, but I think it will be helpful…_

“Monoputa wanted revenge,” Sarah glared at the Prompter, who was giggling away.  “You didn’t have to _kill_ him for that.”

“I didn’t _have_ to, but I did _want_ to!” Monoputa’s giggles became full blown guffaws.  Sarah barely resisted the urge to snatch Gunman’s pistol and fire at Monoputa.

“There was something else with the list…” Sarah rested her chin on her hand in thought.  “… some people were labelled as ‘released.’  I have no idea what that could mean.”

“Are you an idiot?!” Monoputa exclaimed, reaching under his veil to wipe away tears of laughter.  “I thought you were supposed to be the genius detective in this group!! Released means ‘released!’ They’re gone!  Back in reality!”

“Why would you tell us that?” Angel Dog eyed Monoputa with suspicion.

“They’re not a part of this game,” Monoputa waved her off. “Most of ‘em were children! Innocent as innocent could be.  My boss ain’t _that_ heartless.”

“Two children were killed here,” Clock Master narrowed his eyes at Monoputa, undisguised hate in his voice.

“Tch, those brats deserved it!” Monoputa flashed a thumbs down.  “James was a terror and Roulette Boy was a little sadist.  They got what was coming to them.”

“You…” Clock Master dug his nails into his podium. “You bastard…!  They just didn’t know right from wrong yet!  They needed to learn!  But they COULDN’T learn because they DIED in your stupid game!”

“Whoopsies,” Monoputa shrugged and Clock Master let out an enraged roar.

Gregory shook his head at Clock Master and said: “It’s not worth it, my friend.  Focus on the task at hand.”

Clock Master took a deep breath and grumbled in affirmation, his face still tinged bright red with anger.

“So then the body… It could be the mastermind’s _or_ belong to Dr. Fritz?” Gunman clarified.

“I think it _had_ to be Dr. Fritz…” Catherine’s eyes widened.  “It connects with evidence Angel Dog and I found, too!”

“What evidence?” Gregory asked, raising an eyebrow.

Catherine removed Fritz’s journal from her evidence bag and began flipping through the pages.  “This and his work journal details everything about his involvement in the game.  He wrote ‘it’s her or me’ at one point, which proves that he tried to kill Sarah.”

Sarah shuddered at the mention of that incident. She’d come so close to death… She’d have nightmares about it for the rest of her life.

“But how can we be sure that is about her? We do not have any proof that he did it, or could have done it.” Gunman scratched his head. He really didn’t want to back the wrong horse.

Catherine shook her head. “There’s no doubt it was him. Dr Fritz not only had a room for himself, but a laboratory too. That was probably where he got the acid and syringe to kill Sarah with. In addition, the mastermind had him craft an invincible lifeform with hazardous chemicals. He needed the hazmat suit we found him in, for that, in order to stay safe, and those same suits were found in his lab. The mastermind had no need for them. Only he did.” The lizard’s face twisted into a snarl. “And their tinted visors were perfect for hiding his face.”

“Pardon me, my dear, but did you say ‘invincible lifeform’?” Gregory began to sweat nervously, but his voice only showed a hint of concern.

“Y-yes this does not sound good.” Cactus Gunman agreed.

“W-well, Fritz failed the first time - we saw a prototype in his lab. But the second time… Well, he’s standing right in front of you,” Angel Dog pointed a clawed finger at Monoputa himself, who grinned.

“Guilty as charged~!” Monoputa blushed bashfully. “And I see you’ve met my sister. Do me a favour and _leave her alone!”_

“Believe me, we had no plans to go messing about with her!” Clock Master scoffed. “But that journal, does it tell you anything about Dr. Fritz being killed?”

“The last page…” Catherine nodded, opening the journal to reveal the contents, the hastily written mantra of _“I FAILED. I’M GOING TO DIE. I FAILED. I’M GOING TO DIE. I FAILED. I’M GOING TO DIE.”_ covering the page, becoming more and more illegible as it went on.

“That must have been when he failed to kill me…” Sarah murmured.

“From the looks of the journal, he didn’t want to kill you in the first place,” Catherine muttered, skimming through it. “He was forced by someone, and paid for failure with his life.” She snapped the book shut.

“And this someone… They would have to have known Dr Fritz. To have control over him!” Cactus Gunman’s eyes widened. “Dios mio…”

“Indeed.” Gregory agreed. “It would be someone this Fritz character is so afraid of that he wrote _“I FAILED. I’M GOING TO DIE.”_ , as if he knew the cruelness they were capable of.”

“And that they were a ruthless killer.” Clock Master finished gravely.

“Then there’s no doubt about it,” Sarah said.  “Fritz is our victim, and the person who killed him…”

Everyone’s eyes went over to Monoputa, who grinned. “Well,” Monoputa stood up and put his hands behind his back, bobbling around a bit in an attempt to look innocent. “If you wanna get technical, it wasn’t _me._ Now did you forget how a trial works? You gotta find out who the killer is!”

“Come now, the signs are all there! You lot - your boss! He coerced that man to kill Sarah, and killed him for not succeeding!” Clock Master thrust a sausage finger at Monoputa.

The Prompter’s eyes glinted. “I said, you need to find out _who.”_

Clock Master’s confidence wavered. “You… You don’t mean…”

“Quite a clever play, you rascal,” Gregory sneered. “This was your trick all along! You gave all the secrets of the hotel, only to stop us because we don’t have a _name?!”_

“Isn’t it _despair inducing?”_ Monoputa began to salivate. “That sweet, sweet hopelessness… So close to your goal yet so far… Isn’t it just agony?”

Sarah glared at the small black and white blob of evil. “Come on, we can’t quit now! We can do this! We can figure it out! There must be _something!_ A sign or a clue!”

Gregory stroked his chin. “Well, the mastermind did have quite the knack for camera work. It’s a rather unconventional art. To have such placement so out of sight and yet able to see everything… He must have quite the skillset. Or be very familiar with the building.”

“Perhaps they lived here? You owned this place, can you not remember anything?” Gunman pestered.

Gregory shook his head in dismay. “Although Sarah and I did see that portrait of the mastermind’s legs in his chambers.”

“That sounds an awful lot like the photo we found in the basement, where he and Monoputa were sitting on a pile of dead bodies,” Clock Master thought aloud.

Angel Dog’s ears perked up as everyone hummed in agreement. “Hey! Where was I for this?”

“I’m afraid Devil Dog was present at the time,” Catherine smiled kindly, but her serious demeanor quickly returned. “But the mastermind having legs isn’t much to go on.”

Silence fell among the remaining guests as they scratched their heads and picked at their brains.

“Aww, giving up so soon?” Monoputa teased. “Lemme give you a hint: you _have_ seen them before. Sarah and Gregory almost bumped into them too, before I called this investigation to an end!”

“What?!” Sarah quickly glanced at the rat to see a mirrored look of confusion.

“Yep! How does it feel to be so close yet so far? You two coulda solved the case like _that_ had I not kicked you outta there.” Monoputa reclined, seemingly proud of himself.

Sarah cursed herself for giving in so quickly. In desperation she looked over everything in her evidence bag, scrambling through the list of guests. _I can’t lose hope now! We_ will _find a way to do this!_

Her eyes trailing down the list and and her mind scrambling, Sarah thought in a flurried frenzy. Think, think, think, _think!_ This had to work! For them! For everyone they’d lost!

Sarah almost shed a tear, memories swarming through her head. They’d shown so much love, so much support, so much drive to escape and find their homes. They hadn’t deserved their fates. In their own way, they’d all been so innocent. _…Right?_

She caught her breath. It was unthinkable. Her hands began to to shake and she gulped, trying to hide the anxiety.

“Judgement Boy…” She whispered.

“Pardon me, señorita?” Gunman leaned over his podium.

“Yes… Yes I’m certain of it now! The mastermind is Judgement Boy!” She said fiercely.

“Sarah… Judgement Boy is dead.” Angel Dog gently reminded her.

“No, it all makes sense! Look at the list,” she began, holding it up. “It tells us everyone involved in the game. If this is the mastermind’s list, he wouldn’t need to include himself, right? It mentions Judgement Boy Gold. Back when I spent time with him,” Sarah smiled softly to herself, her voice low, “he would talk about his life as Gold’s pupil. He always said that while he was the original Judgement Boy, the pupil, Gold had a posse of his own, with four members. And look!” Sarah held up the list and jabbed a finger at it. “Each of the four numbered members of his posse, are on the list but not the original Judgement Boy.”

“But we _saw_ him die!” Angel Dog insisted. “This doesn’t make sense!”

“Need I remind you, all bodies are in the morgue, right where they should be! He couldn’t have faked his death.” Clock Master chimed in.

“The mastermind took away our memories, right? If Dr Fritz is a medical professional who knows the body so well he can create life, it’s safe to say he was the one who took away those memories, under the mastermind’s command. Wouldn’t it also make sense to claim that he can put new thoughts and ideas in? What if he made the Judgement Boy _we knew_ think he was Judgement Boy Gold’s protege? He… he might have been part of Gold’s posse before! One of the numbered Judgement Boy’s. They’re all similar in structure; add some paint or some tweaks here and there and Gold would be none the wiser!”

“I suppose… But…Still, this mastermind has _legs.”_ Catherine thought aloud.

“We never saw what the original Judgement Boy looked like. And with Fritz, any modification is possible, right? If he can do all of that, he could make limbs.” Sarah’s eyes were dilated like two black pearls, her palms sweating. This was the climax. “Besides, in the surveillance room, don’t you remember, Gregory? Right as we saw the outside world, we heard that sound…”

_…Suddenly, a short burst of sound, like metal being scraped across stone, followed by some scrabbling, wavered through the room. Sarah instantly tensed up and froze. All thoughts of outside were vaporised. Her heart pounded in her ears. It sounded close, as though it was behind the monitors…_

“I admit I was a little out of my right mind, but I do recall that awful scrape.” Gregory’s face twisted in discomfort. “My rodent ears are quite sensitive.”

“If Monoputa was right, and the mastermind was in that room, then that could have been his metal body brushing the floor while he moved around! No other person or creature would make that sound.” Pounding, screaming her heart was flaring in her chest as she connected the dots. “Along with Monoputa’s attitude to Gold’s death - the resentment and desire to take his gold plating, and the way the Judgement Boy in the mirror during the execution made different movements to our Judgement Boy… It has to be him!”

“Perhaps he could have added the limbs after Judgement Boy’s execution. Then it would make sense!” Gunman puffed out his chest. “Yes! I am with Sarah!”

“As hard as it is to believe, I can’t fault you, Sarah. So I’ll stick by you, one hundred percent of the way.” Catherine nodded.

“Me too!” Angel Dog smiled. “That nasty man has it coming for what he’s done to Hell’s Chef, and to all of us!”

“Not to mention those kids. I’ll never forgive him,” Clock Master hit his fist on his podium. “I’m with you, Sarah, I trust your judgement.” He snickered, adding “no pun intended.”

Gregory hummed in agreement. “Indeed. I can’t think of anyone else it could be… But I have never been much of a thinker. I’ll side with you on this, my dear. The mastermind is Judgement Boy.”

Monoputa, silent this whole time with only his lip raised in disgust, sneered at them. “You kids think you’re SOOO smart, don’t you? But you still have some mysteries unsolved, so don’t think you’re getting away with it just yet! In faaact, since we’ve cleared the air, I think I’ll let the _boss_ take it from here!”

The Prompter gestured grandly upwards, and a massive tile in the ceiling slid backwards.  A flight of stairs descended from it, aggravatingly slowly, and Sarah felt her heart freeze.

Metallic footsteps echoed through the otherwise silent room as the one behind it all made his descent.  He looked different than Sarah remembered.  Arms, legs, hands… he had upgraded his body to be more human.  He was clad in a suit and tie that was a perfect match in color scheme to Monoputa, and his eyes were cold, inhuman, and full of malice that betrayed his broad, sharp-toothed grin.  His hair was longer and swept upwards at the ends, and he was no longer bound by chains or attached to the ceiling.  This Judgement Boy was completely different from the one everyone in the room used to know. This Judgement Boy didn’t have the slightest shred of humanity left in him.

Judgement Boy made his way to the podium that used to belong to the now dead Judgement Boy and knocked the sign to the ground, kicking it away.  He beamed at the crowd with a disgustingly radiant smile, overflowing with joy that he didn’t deserve to feel.

Sarah’s heart felt even colder when she saw that she’d have to stand next to this man.  She felt like she couldn’t move her body at all and her heart was pounding. Judgement Boy took notice of her discomfort and snickered, giving her a quick wink.

“About time I met you,” Judgement Boy said, adjusting his tie with his too-thin metallic fingers.  “Now, let’s end this, shall we?”


	34. Grand Finale

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Well, here we are!_   
>  _How many years has it been? 3? 4? But we’re finally at the end!!_   
>  _I’ll have to give all my thanks to @Veneesla for this chapter. While I lost steam, she kept on going, and she wrote the majority of this chapter. It’s absolutely AMAZING, and I hope all of you enjoy it as much as I do._   
>  _We have a LOT of contributors for the artwork this time around. @shortlifelongart, @classycloudcuckoolanderclasso, @disgustiphage, @mrgenericmcprotag, and a collaborative piece by @ask-offgame, @koro-tyan, and @professoroakward!_   
>  _I hope you all enjoy this. Thank you for sticking with us for so long._

 Judgement Boy’s smile oozed a sort of… oddly excited malice. His utter disfigurement and the twisted gleam in his eyes clashed with his refined aura and tangible ego. Everyone stared at him with complete and utter loathing. Cactus Gunman’s hands were shaking; Sarah had no doubt that he was thinking about his poor sister. Even Clock Master, for all his practiced restraint, couldn’t help muttering something about him being a “sick bastard”; although it was hard to tell from across the room. The tension was palpable.

Eagerly, Judgement Boy’s metal fingers fidgeted on the surface of his podium. _This excitement… He’s been waiting for this moment for a long time._ _Whether it’s to see our horrified faces or something crueller, I don’t know._ Sarah wasn’t sure if she even wanted to find out. But one thing was for sure - she hated being so close to the man that caused so much suffering and anguish over the past months.

_Had it been months…?_ Sarah had lost all concept of time since being stuck in this cursed hotel, but now wasn’t the time to think about it.

Catherine finally broke the silence, digging her nails into her podium.  “What do you have to _say_ for yourself?!”

“Really?” Judgement Boy smirked, resting his elbows on his podium and placing his chin on steepled fingers.  “We finally meet after all this time, and all you have to say is _that?!”_

“What do you _expect_ me to say?!” Catherine spat.

“I expected more cussing me out, maybe Gunman over there taking a shot at me,” Judgement Boy turned his gaze to Cactus Gunman, who turned several shades paler.  “Would have been nice to kill him right in front of you guys.  Imagine losing your life after coming this far…”

Judgement Boy’s concerning grin spread across his face once more. He was clearly trying to spice up the atmosphere with whatever he considered to be a joke; although no one found it even slightly humourous. Instead, they were uncomfortably shifting their glances to one another, repressing whatever tumultuous emotions they had.

Judgement Boy scoffed and tried again.  “Remember when _I_ was your favorite, Sarah?”

Sarah felt like she had been struck with a physical blow. “That wasn’t you,” she whispered.  She couldn’t look at Judgement Boy at all; his presence was sapping all of her energy and motivation. “That wasn’t you.”

“Right you are,” Judgement Boy turned Sarah’s face towards him and she stiffened, every muscle in her body freezing as Judgement Boy gave her chin a stroke.

She stayed silent. She felt pathetic. Feeble. Unable to even muster the ability to snap back with her sharp tongue or push him away, even lightly. All she could do was repeat those words.

Where was her fire? Her relentless burning passion to carry on no matter how bleak things were? Time had withered her resilience. Victory was so far yet so within her reach… Was it the humiliation of facing the man who, unintentionally or not, toyed with her feelings from the very start like a puppet on strings? The fear, the panic he had caused and what he could do to her? Or the knowledge of her inability to protect her friends, alive and dead?

She was tired. She wanted to go home. This man sapped her life.

“HEY!” Came a stout shout from Cactus Gunman.

“Don’t you DARE touch her!” Catherine yelled from across the room.  “You disgusting _bastard!”_

“THAT’S what I wanna hear!” Judgement Boy cackled, drawing his hand back from Sarah. “Come now, tell me _more._ How do you _really_ feel?” He leered over his podium, a striking lust in his eyes. “Sorrow? …Anguish? … _Despair?”_

“Shut up, shut _up!”_ Gunman covered the sides of his head, where Sarah assumed there were ears. His tone spoke volumes of anger and regret. “I…I don’t want to hear any more! I cannot _do_ this!”

“Ahahahaha, the boss is _good!”_ Monoputa clapped excitedly from his seat.

Gregory looked away. A quick glance at his old friend and Clock Master boiled over.

“If you want a reaction you’ll bloody get one!” He started to roll up his sleeves.

“Clock Master.” Catherine cut in warningly.

Judgement Boy merrily “hmm”ed to himself. “Ah, perfect. Wonderful. That tells me more than enough.”

“Now you tell _us_ why you came down,” Angel Dog pointed her wand at Judgement Boy.  “Why didn’t you just keep hiding?!”

“Why should I? You have me figured out,” Judgement Boy shrugged nonchalantly. “…well, a little.  There are still a lot of mysteries about me and my hotel you haven’t solved.”

“You mean _my_ hotel,” Gregory glowered at Judgement Boy.

“It’s not your hotel anymore!” Judgement Boy flipped his hair, his tone smug.  “I don’t know if you noticed, but you and your little friends have been under my thumb for quite some time now.”

“That doesn’t matter,” Clock Master folded his arms. “In the end, you killed Dr. Fritz. So that means we should get to vote and execute you.”

“I think this is a little… different, my friend…” Gregory sounded disappointed.

“Right you are, Gregory~!” Judgement Boy pointed at Gregory like a game show host.  “I have a more… _interesting_ idea.”

“Spit it out.” Catherine was already sick of this man.

“If you can solve all of the mysteries of this place…” Judgement Boy paused for effect.  “… then I’ll let you all go back to reality.”

Clock Master couldn’t help gasping; the prospect of seeing his son again seemed too good to be true. Sarah, too, raised her head. _Could it be…?_

“I’ll also accept defeat… and a sufficient punishment - death.  BUT!” Judgement Boy raised a finger in the air.  “If you can’t do that, then _you_ all die.  Easy peasy, right?” Judgement Boy giggled.  “Well, maybe for me.  I already know all the answers!”

Sarah’s jaw dropped. “Th-these are the ultimate stakes! Are you out of your mind?!”

“You’re going to put _everything_ on the line?” Angel Dog blinked, bewildered. “He must have…twisted this somehow! Boys like him never play fair.”

Y-yes!” Gunman stoutly agreed. “I don’t believe someone capable of such cheap tricks!  What do you gain from this?!”

“Fair is fair…” Judgement Boy touched a hand to his cheek.  “Not to mention I’ll get a total _rush_ from the loss.”

“That sounds like another lie to me,” Angel Dog raised her chin in the air.

“Hey hey hey! I’ve been trying to tell you from the staaaart~!” Monoputa stood up and twirled on his chair. “It’s that _rush_ of despair _…_ Haven’t you been listening?”

Judgement Boy raised a hand to silence him and smirked. “If you still don’t believe me, that’s on your head. I’m making this offer and as for whether I’ll keep my word, well, there’s only one way you’ll find out.”

Catherine raised her lip in a snarl. “That’s sick. This is our lives we’re talking about.”

“Come now, when have I ever lied to you?” Judgement Boy gestured grandly. “I mislead, rather well if I do say, and I keep secrets. But lie? My dear, the only thing you’ve heard from me is the stark truth.”

“And what if that is a lie in itself?” Gregory pried, meticulously nitpicking like his mother.

“Tch. You’ve always been a sly one, old man,” he hummed with some admiration. “I suppose it takes one to know one. But you’re just a coward, afraid to stoop to my _tantalising_ lows.”

“He’s just teasing you.” Sarah cut in, sick of Judgement Boy leading them in circles. But… was this it? Their chance for freedom? “We don’t have any other choice now. If there’s some hope we can escape… This may be our only shot.”

“I knew I liked you…” Judgement Boy leaned toward her, his words dripping sickening desire. Sarah did her best to steel herself against it as frustration pricked at her innards, revitalising her.

“Besides!” He continued, perking back up. “I’m sure you’ve noticed… something about this last investigation, haven’t you?”

_Something…? What is he talking about?_ Sarah wondered, her anger building. _Argh, is he gonna play games with us this whole time?_

“You don’t mean… the extra information available?” Catherine asked stiffly. Her utter repulsion at complying with this man was painfully evident. “There wasn’t just information on Fritz, you gave us everything in the hotel. Much more than we needed.”

“You were always a smart one. So decisive.” Judgement Boy clawed like a tiger. “I almost feel threatened! Almost. You’re nothing without your needles but a stern, lovelorn hag.”

“Stop it! Stop it right now! She didn’t do anything to deserve those harsh words!” Angel Dog’s fur spiked as her aggressive tone shook the room.

Placing an elbow on his podium and resting his head on his palm once again, Judgement Boy raised an eyebrow. His expression was full of thinly veiled amusement and some cruel pleasure. Angel Dog began to falter.

“Au contraire, my _feisty_ little canine,” said Judgement Boy, “this is my world. For once, I’m in charge. I can do whatever I want, and I will.”

_He’s so certain…_ Sarah was horrified and afraid. Even in a civilised courtroom, the mastermind was still posing a physical threat. They needed to watch themselves around someone so dangerous. _And what’s this about ‘for once’? Is there something hidden there we don’t know?_

She pushed those thoughts away. _That doesn’t matter. We need to get this on topic and escape!_

“Let’s keep this moving.” Sarah crossed her arms. “So you’re saying that all this extra information is the key to returning to reality? Like Monoputa confirmed before for determining Fritz’s killer, we have all the pieces we need to win your game, right?”

“Preeee-cisely,” Judgement Boy coolly agreed.

When he couldn’t hold back his wide, toothy smile, Sarah couldn’t help feeling awed and revolted at the detail he put into his body modification - even they were sharpened to a point.

Flashily, Judgement Boy clenched his fist and pointed to his underling. “Monoputa, slam that gavel! Let the final trial for life and death, hope and despair, officially begin!”

Right at the conclusion of his words, Monoputa twirled the gavel in his hands and slammed it onto the arm of his chair. The sound resonated through the room.

“There’s one thing we _do_ know,” Gregory tilted his chin up, glaring at Judgement Boy.  “This hotel doesn’t belong to you. It belongs to _me.”_

“We went over this already!” Judgement Boy guffawed. “It’s _my_ hotel now, old man!  You can’t win this trial with just one paltry little fact.”

“Pardon me for interrupting, but, uh,” Cactus Gunman wrang his hands nervously.

Catherine flicked her tongue in annoyance. “Well go on, spit it out.”

He nodded hastily but still spoke with hesitation. “Is it not possible that Gregory has always known the building was called Gregory House and is just choosing to relay this now? It is a little suspicious he happens to share a name with the building.”

“Maybe he’s working _with_ the mastermind!” The tips of Angel Dog’s fur began to turn purple.

_As usual,_ _she thinks the worst of Gregory,_ Sarah thought tiredly _._

“Angel Dog, Gregory is not working with the mastermind. He would have sided with him earlier or not let us go so long without a killing if that were the case. Besides, what did Sarah say about finger pointing, young lady?” Clock Master tutted.

Catherine looked thoughtful. “But we _do_ know Gregory was here before our memories were stolen.”

“Huh… Yes, I suppose that’s true!” Said Gunman.

“But if he was here before all this started…” Angel Dog wondered, twirling her wand.  “…is it possible that other people were here too? This _was_ a hotel.”

“Thanks to Judgement Boy’s list, we know he killed a lot of people. They could have lived here,” Sarah speculated.

“My dear, you have no proof they were at this location. Just names can mean simply nothing,” chided Gregory.

She shook her head. “Not true. Remember that photo of Judgement Boy sitting on the pile of bodies with Monoputa? He had legs then, didn’t he? If he didn’t have legs when this game began, then the photo must have been taken near this location, so he could still keep tabs on us.”

“If that’s true… That must’ve been recently too,” Catherine continued.

“So, what you’re saying is, these people on Judgement Boy’s list lived at the hotel, were killed, and then used to help him pose in that photograph?” Clock Master confirmed.

“Unless you know a way to import bodies, it makes sense to me, my friend,” Gregory said, amusing himself with his trademark dark humour.

“But, they may have just been neighbours!” Gunman piped up.

“The quantity seems a bit…excessive for that,” Catherine concluded her choice of words carefully. “And this house is designed to hold lots of people. It’s more likely they came from here.

“Remember, there _is_ a graveyard outside this hotel, they may have been stored there upon their death…” Gregory chuckled ominously, smiling. “What use did I ever have for _that?”_

“I don’t…want to know.” Sarah smiled uncomfortably. “Maybe Judgement Boy made it specifically to store their bodies.”

“Wrongo~!” Judgement Boy chirped. “The only thing I modified was this house!”

Clock Master frowned. “It…was always here?” He forced a laugh, trying to make light of it. “Well, it certainly fits your style, Gregory! You’re quite the sombre fellow.”

“I’ll…take that as a compliment,” the rat replied shortly.

Sarah cleared her throat. “But still, all these people who weren’t involved in the killing game lived here and they were on that list. I don’t think it’s too farfetched to assume that, because we were on the list, we lived here too.”

“But, we don’t have any real evidence we were here before this “game” began, do we?” Angel Dog asked with concern.

“Actually, we do. We’ve seen a lot of things around here that seem out of place,” Catherine recalled bitterly. “Not to mention the way that man acts. It’s as if he knows us.”

“Thank goodness, I was hoping someone else noticed that,” Gunman wiped away some sweat on his forehead. “And… I will never forget that photo of Neko Zombie and Steve we found in the storage room a long time ago. At the time, Steve did not remember it.

_“Wh-what…?” Tears began to well up in Steve’s horrified eyes and he stepped back. “Th-that…! No!”_

_“Steve? Are you okay?” Cactus Girl asked worriedly. She, too, saw no explanation for Steve’s concern._

_He shook his head vigorously. “Th-that…never happened!” He searched their faces earnestly for some sign that this was a joke._

He was giving my seester a bracelet,” Gunman continued softly. “I will never forget her smile…”

“Chef too. He had a date with Catherine in the past,” Angel Dog said, recalling their encounter with TV Fish in the basement. “And Catherine…”

“I was drawing blood from Mummy Papa. His son was there too,” the lizard said shortly. She seemed keen not to draw any further detail to it. _They might remember how_ much _of it I drew,_ she thought.

“These things must have happened in the hotel - Fritz just erased our memory of them!” Sarah concluded triumphantly. “If only these clues told us more…”

“Hold on!” Gunman’s eyes widened.  “Catherine, remember your diary?”

“My diary… that’s right!” Catherine slammed her fist into her open palm.  “I was journaling my life here before all of this!” Sighing, she shook her head.  “I can only hope it wasn’t such a miserable place before.”

“Do you mind if we take a look at it?” Clock Master was already reaching into his evidence bag.

“If it will help, sure, but…” Catherine glowered at Clock Master.  “… hand it to me first.  You shouldn’t be looking at my private thoughts.”

“Of course, of course…” Clock Master finally found the diary and left his podium to bring it over to Catherine, quickly scampering back after handing it to her.

Catherine used her nail to unlock it before flipping through the fading pages, looking for names.  “Oh!” Catherine’s eyes widened as she stopped her page-flipping. “Cactus Girl…”

“My seester?!” Cactus Gunman snapped to attention, standing on his toes as if that would somehow let him see the page. “Please… what does it say about her?”

“Apparently she used to help me with my nursing duties…” Catherine’s voice had the slightest hint of fondness.  “I always felt connected to that girl.  I wonder if it was because of our past together?”

“I had no idea she had such knowledge…” Cactus Gunman sounded like he was about to cry.

“I guess that means Gunman was here before as well?” Sarah looked over at him.

“Yes, I mentioned him a few lines down,” Catherine nodded.

“What does it say?” Cactus Gunman asked.

Catherine gave him a flat look before saying: “I’d rather not repeat it.” She returned to flipping through the book.

“Clock Master!” She shouted, stopping the pages once again.  “Came into my office after a drunken bender.”

Clock Master chuckled sheepishly.

After more flipping, Catherine found a mention of Angel Dog, as well as pages and pages and pages of her complaining about Gregory.

“Nothing about you, though, sweetheart,” Catherine shook her head at Sarah.  “You must be a new addition.”

“Anything about _me?”_ Judgement Boy flashed her a glittering grin.

“This isn’t about you,” Catherine shut her journal, pointedly being as loud as she could.

“I suppose that’s one mystery solved, yes?” Gregory gave Judgement Boy a confident look.

“One of many!” Judgement Boy folded his arms, winking at Gregory.  “You’ve barely scratched the surface.”

“I have a question for you,” Sarah turned towards Judgement Boy.  Even though her tone was accusing, she still couldn’t look him directly in the eye.

“Hmm?” Judgement Boy swiveled his head towards her, still wearing a grin.

“Was life in the hotel terrible?  Is this why you did this?” Sarah asked, her voice small.

“I would NEVER run a terrible hotel!” Gregory insinuated.

“Do you expect me to just give you all the answers?” Judgement Boy flipped his hair.  “My motivation could have been ennui.  Or hatred.  Or jealousy. Or a terrible life here.” He turned back to Sarah, his smirk back full force.  “Or all of the above.”

“Those are all hardly reasons to make people _kill each other!”_ Angel Dog squeaked.

“Says you,” Judgement Boy shrugged.  “Walk a mile in my shoes.  Or chains, rather.  I didn’t have shoes back then.”

Sarah’s brows rose up.  His chains _were_ gone… the trademark weights and cages that the Judgement Boy she knew and Judgement Boy Gold had used to make their judgements were nowhere to be found on his body.

_Wait…_

“Judgement Boy Gold…” Something clicked in Sarah’s head. “Were you jealous of Judgement Boy Gold…?”

Judgement Boy started a bit, like he had just received a strong static shock.  “What?!”

“He told me he was in charge of a lot of different Judgement Boys,” Sarah recalled the conversation she had with Gold back when he was alive.  “And he seemed really strict with Judgement Boy.  The one that isn’t you, I mean.”

“How could you know that?!” Judgement Boy leaned uncomfortably close to Sarah, his eyes flashing with anger.  “Your assumptions were always stupid and annoying; have you ever considered you’re on the wrong track?!?!”

Sarah swallowed and did her best to keep her voice from trembling. “Well, considering how defensive you just got, I’d say I’m on the _right_ track.”

“You… UGH!” Judgement Boy leaned back, clenching his fists. “I could THROTTLE you!!”

Cactus Gunman drew his gun and shakily pointed it at Judgement Boy.

“You trying to die?!” Judgement Boy stabbed a finger in Cactus Gunman’s direction, but Cactus Gunman didn’t lower his gun.

“Only a sick man would threaten a señorita,” Cactus Gunman turned his gun’s safety off.

“I thought we already established how sick I am?” Judgement Boy let out a sinister snicker.  “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t strangle her right-”

_BANG!_

Cactus Gunman fired his gun, but, of course, he completely missed, the bullet burying itself in the wall several feet above Judgement Boy’s head.

“GYAAAAAAAH!” Angel Dog, startled by the noise, covered her ears and squeezed her eyes shut.

“You’re lucky that didn’t even come close to hitting me,” Judgement Boy’s expression darkened significantly.  “Because if it did…” He drew a finger across his throat.

“If only failed assault were against the rules…” Monoputa grumbled.  “I miss bloodshed.”

“You and me both!” a familiar voice cackled.

“Oh, terrific,” Catherine rubbed her temples.

Angel Dog had completely let her guard down when the gun went off and Devil Dog had taken her place, grinning ear to ear and twirling her pitchfork around merrily.

“Hey, wait a minute,” Devil Dog’s eyes widened and she pointed her pitchfork in Judgement Boy’s direction.  “Didn’t you die?”

“I have a _lot_ of lookalikes,” Judgement Boy steepled his fingers under his chin. “But I’m the original!”

“Nice new legs,” Devil Dog’s eyes flicked downward. “Mine are _way_ better though.”

“Judgement Boy, stop dodging my question,” Sarah was getting sicker and sicker of him with each passing second.

The mastermind’s eyes trailed away. “Which question was that? We talk about so much, it’s _very_ engaging and distracting.”

Feeling his eyes dance all over her, Sarah’s face turned hot with anger. “You _were_ jealous of Judgement Boy Gold! Was it because he was in charge and you couldn’t take his place? Or was it because you knew you could never be as _good_ as he was?”

A flicker of uncertainty and unease hit Judgement Boy’s eyes. He quickly bounced back. “I was _every_ bit as good as he was! If not better!” He roared back. “He didn’t deserve that ego… And he would nitpick at nothing! Nothing! My way was just as good! Golden Judgement my ASS! He deserved this fate!”

“But… then why did you turn this- MY hotel upside down?” Gregory asked, “that explains why you turned on Gold but the rest of us did quite little to deserve this outcome.”

Judgement Boy, rubbing his temples, presumably from stress, looked up. “I was bored.”

“Bored…?” Sarah echoed.

“YES, you failure of a child prodigy! Bored bored bored bored bored bored BORED!!” He slammed his fist on the table but still kept one hand on his head. “Doing the _same_ training in the _same_ hotel with the _same_ guests and the _same_ Judgement Boys for WHAT?! Nothing ever happened there.” His voice turned eerily cool. “I knew I was great, I always was. And now I used that greatness to make my own show. One a hell of a lot more fun for me.” He smiled.

“Looks like he finally answered it…” Catherine mumbled. “So childish.”

“Childish? This guy’s got the guts you saps never did!” Devil Dog seemed in awe.

“Well, you don’t exactly have the scales anymore,” Clock Master chuckled uncomfortably, “you can’t judge and surpass Gold now anyway.”

Judgement Boy raised and eyebrow and smirked. “Oh please, this was _way_ more fun. And still will be. I can do it over, and over, and over and OVER AGAIN!”

Clock Master’s mouth hung agape. “This boy… He might have truly lost it.”

“Oh please,” Judgement Boy chuckled, “we already said I never lie.”    

“You tryna tell me you can rewind time or something?” Devil Dog said.

Gregory slowly blinked, or rather winked, his remaining eye. “Come now, we’re entering the realm of fantasy here! That seems a tad extreme…”

“Hang on,” Sarah interjected, a thoughtful hand on her chin. “If this realm is separate from reality, then it might not be so crazy to assume that things we thought weren’t possible, ARE possible.”

“Well, heh, we DID speak to Death himself,” Cactus Gunman thought aloud, “I won’t deny this so quickly.”

“Y-you’re all crazy too!” Clock Master pointed at them, going back and forth.

“But Clock Master, can’t you tell? This place… It’s not normal. We saw a fish with a T.V. for a face that displayed our realities on it’s screen,” Sarah recounted. “And I never saw anyone like all of you in my reality. ‘Least, I don’t think so.”

“Like us? What on earth do you mean by that?” Catherine frowned, both concentrating and slightly affronted.

“W-well…” Sarah’s face turned red. “I’ve never seen anyone who can change shape, like Devil Dog can.”

The dog snorted in response. “Ain’t nobody out there a _shred_ like me.”

Sarah grappled to maintain her point. “Uh, Clock Master, was your son in your reality a clock…person like you?”

After a brief pause he murmured. “Now that you mention it… He was a human like you, Sarah! And Mummy Papa said this as well!”

_“My son… he didn’t look like… me. He looked more like you.” Mummy Papa pointed to Steve, who jumped a little. “A… a human. My wife too.”_

“Wait, wait,” Gunman turned his head away, his eyes shut and arms up. He held his pose for a moment, processing these words. “But in the photos and on TV Fish when we saw Catherine’s date, we look like we do now,” he said slowly. “So…which are we!? Ayiyiyi, what is happening?!”

Sarah opened her mouth to resolve this, but stopped. Why _was_ it their current and human forms had both been seen in their memories?

“Oh-ho-ho! Some things are too tough for even you, Nancy Drew,” Judgement Boy mocked.

Fury sizzled within Sarah. “No!” She replied hotly, before realising how dumb she must have sounded. “I- Er- There has to be a reason for that! S-some common thread!”

Catherine hmm’ed to herself. “What’s different about those memories… What do each of them have in common?”

“Well my son… He’s a memory of my home. My reality.” Clock Master said distractedly.

“The same can be said for Mummy Papa’s memory,” Gregory recounted, also in thought. “And they were both of humans. What about the other ones?”

“Those memories were in the hotel and of each other,” Catherine confirmed. “Is that the key?”

“Yeah… They were all in this reality, with the hotel, but we were human in our own realities, that must be it,” Sarah concluded. “Which adds proof to the idea that this reality makes the impossible possible.”

“So, I am really a human in my reality?” Cactus Gunman looked down and grasped the front of his poncho. “Dios mio, this is uncomfortable.”

“Yes, how peculiar. I wonder why we have these forms…” Gregory thought aloud.

“Then if our realities our like that, but in this hotel we take all kinds of forms and can shapeshift, isn’t manipulating time not that much of a stretch?” Sarah said, cycling back to her old point.

Clock Master looked bewildered, staring at nothing and mouthed an obscenity. 

Catherine just made an annoyed noise.

“Well I suppose…” She said bitterly. “But you can’t just expect us to accept that Judgement Boy was _born_ with this gift. Even a farfetched story like that needs some credibility.”

“Of course,” Judgement Boy agreed, grandiosely. He was resting his head in his palm but his body language indicated he was very interested. “Which is why I stole these powers from a certain someone. One of the masters of this realm.”

“Well it _must_ be _me._ I _am_ Clock Master, of course,” the old clock said, proudly placing his hands on his hips.

“HA!” Judgement Boy leaned over his podium, laughing uproariously. His face was twisted in hilarious ecstasy. “You?! You really think-?!” He collapsed on podium, out of air. “Oh no. You crack me up. No way in a million years. You’re old hat, old man.”

“I- Well..!” Clock Master’s jaw dropped, but he promptly picked it up and stoutly turned away.

“Well what other ‘masters’ could there be…?” Gregory looked away and scratched his head, his voice just louder than a whisper. He suddenly bolted upright. “Wait. ME?!”

“Of course it must be you! You ran this hotel!” Gunman reprimanded. “Now is not the time to lose yourself; keep your head in the game!”

“Ding-ding-ding-DIIIIING~! The old guys have it!” Judgement Boy gestured to them, again like a game show host.

Sarah ignored him. “Did I hear that right? Masters? Meaning there’s more than one?”

Clock Master turned his head slightly towards Judgement Boy, listening.

“You honestly think Gregory could do a damn thing without his “mama” looming over him, do you?” Judgement Boy raised an eyebrow at her. “You’re more naive than I thought. But no matter~. We won’t have to worry about her ever again,” he said airly, smiling at Gregory.

The old clock growled under his breath and sucked up his misery, turning back around.

“But how do you transfer power? This whole conversation is ridiculous!” Catherine shook her head.

“If we think about what he had at his disposal…” Gunman murmured to himself. “Of course! Doctor Fritz! The man is a surgeon, he must do transplants and transfers all the time.” He proudly placed his hands on his hips.

“Well he did create an invincible lifeform… For now, that’s probably the only thing we can assume. Nice work Gunman,” Sarah smiled.

A snort erupted from Judgement Boy.

“So the theory we’re settling on is that Fritz stole time manipulation powers from Gregory and gave them to Judgement Boy. But why?” Catherine turned to face the sadistic menace in question.

He grinned back. “Why not? This way I get to watch your despair and struggle over and over. As many times as I want. I get to watch Gold and everybody who bothered me plot against each other and die to try to escape. It’s fun. At least, until I get bored.”

A cruel silence wafted over the group. A piercing silence. One of those silences where everyone is acutely aware of the quietness of the room.

All Sarah could do was try and keep her breathing level.

This man was sick, and her mind, numb, tried to fathom the unfathomable. _How dare he? What right does he have to do that?! We’re going to die over and over… He needs to be punished, we can’t let this happen! I’m so scared… I don’t want to die! Not today! Not today or any day! This has to stop!_

Her mind emerged from the emotional quagmire, pulling itself out of despair. Around her, the others were murmuring some confused scared chatter. Except for Devil Dog, who was of course spurting some absurd praise.

“So.” She said loudly, interrupting the paranoia of her companions. “We must have answered a lot of the mysteries by now, right? About your origins, about us?”

“Of course.” Judgement Boy nonchalantly agreed. “But dear Sarah, this simply isn’t enough. Have you ever wondered what brought you here in the first place? Why you are in this reality? What this reality even is? This reality between realities? A reality of hopelessness?”

Sarah felt a stinging blow to her confidence. These were perhaps the most pertinent questions of their situation that had hardly been addressed. _Why? Why_ were _they here?_ _WHERE were they?!_ Sarah cursed him, annoyed he had a point.

“But before we get to that, _first_ you have to answer some questions about my GRAND KILLING GAME!” His elbows dove down to his podium and he placed his head on his open palms. “Tell me, how did I get you to kill?”

“Well..through motives of course.” Clock Master answered confidently but his face was wary, stricken by the sudden change of tone.

“And what was the theme of the first motive?” Judgement Boy pressed.

Catherine exchanged a confused glance with Sarah. “What on earth are you talking about?”

“Please, I didn’t just pick these motives willy-nilly,” he said waving her off, “I put a lot of thought into my show here. Each motive had a specific theme. Now hurry up, what was the first?”

“That’d have to be secrets.” Devil Dog stated confidently, folding her arms. “You sure as hell revealed mine. Not to mention that brat’s diary.”

Gregory sighed and murmured to no one in particular, “oh dear.”

“What about the second one?” The mastermind tilted his head.

“Memories!” Devil Dog hollered, raising her pitchfork enthusiastically. “We got some sweeeet presents, and you made us to take a look at TV Fish.”

“Excellent~. You’re good. And the third?”

Devil Dog’s excited face faltered. “Uhh.”

Judgement Boy snorted. “Caught you off guard have I? You’ll never get brownie points this way, missy.”

Devil Dog huffed, not to be outdone. “D-darkness?” Sarah could see her mentally fumbling for her answer like one fumbles for a bar of soap.

“Opportunity?” Said Gunman, slowly and unsurely as he exchanged a glance with Clock Master.

“I believe the answer he’s looking for is desires,” Gregory said coolly. “Like my mother’s desire for those souls, or the primal desire to attack in the dark.”

Judgement Boy straightened up and shrugged. “I would’ve accepted either of those answers but you - you Gregory - I like you. You get the point.” He punctuated his remark with a finger sweepingly pointed in his direction.

“Point? What point?” Clock Master grumbled.

“This is ridiculous,” Catherine placed a hand on her head.

“And the fourth motive, what was that?” Asked Judgement Boy, seemingly enthralled.

“Nightmares,” Gunman answered, his voice cracking.

“Tough nuts, you’ll need to be more specific,” the mastermind teased.

“Fear,” a grinning Devil Dog chuckled.

He grinned back in a sickeningly cheesy manner. “Perrrfecto! Maybe you aren’t all as dense as I thought.”

“Alright, that’s enough,” Catherine raised her voice and put a hand on her podium. “Devil Dog, stop playing into his hands and you, men, stop being so childish and encouraging him. Someone better put some actual evidence on this table.”

Sarah’s heart warmed seeing Catherine take a stand, but then furrowed her brow. “Well, the only other piece of evidence I have really is Death’s contract.”

“Mm, is that so?” Judgement Boy tilted his head, a head in his hands. “I’m sure that’ll get you far.”

“Well, at the least, we know Death was not just a friend, but a _forced_ participant, hmm?” Gregory pried.

“Forced is a _strong_ word, Gregory. He wanted what I had, and like a good little white-collar worker, I struck a deal,” he said, straightening his tie. “An eye for an eye~.”

“Sarah, perhaps the contract has more details,” Gunman ushered, motioning for her to read it.

“Right!” She hastily agreed, and paused to skim over the details.

“…Well? Don’t leave us in suspense now, Sarah!” Clock Master announced, leaning over his podium.

“I’m trying!” She retorted, a little irritated. “But this is covered in legal jargon - it’s a little hard to understand.”

“I’ll have you know I am an excellent lawyer,” Judgement Boy boasted, playfully poking Sarah in the ribs.

She looked up and angrily swatted his hand away. “Stop it! This is important.”

“I know. Why do you think I’m doing it? Plus your reaction just makes my day,” he sang merrily.

Sarah growled to herself and kept reading.

“Okay, I think I have the gist of it,” she said carefully after a few moments. “It details something about Death having access to the souls of the residents of Gregory House when they die, and in exchange for not interfering, he gets access to all the ‘lost souls’ in the building.” Sarah looked up with a weak smile. “Is that enough evidence for you, Catherine?”

The lizard flicked her tongue, seeming pleased. “That’s plenty.”

“But none of that makes a hint of sense! ‘Lost souls’? Are they the souls of dead people?” Clock Master rambled, baffled. “What makes them lost in the first place?!”

“Are these perhaps the souls you used as an incentive for Mama?” Gregory asked seriously. He ran a hand through his blond hair. “Upon her death there were quite the number of souls stored in jars. In that…execution.”

As Judgement Boy confirmed this, Gunman looked taken aback. “Are you telling me you killed _that many_ people?! There were SHELVES of souls!”

“And dozens of shelves,” Devil Dog added, impressed.

“Or they were mine and Mama’s before this lunatic took over. Mama has an… affinity for youth. Consuming the souls appears to grant her that,” revealed Gregory.

“So SHE killed that many people?! Ayiyi, what a devious woman! I am not surprised she- Oh. Sorry señor.” Gunman fiddled uncomfortably with his hands as Gregory gave him a look.

“I don’t remember if she did,” Gregory confessed. “Mama _was_ a wily one.”

“Hey, just ignore that fact, alright? The souls are MINE now and that’s all that matters,” Judgement Boy pouted.

“Not when this game is over,” Clock Master said darkly, a shadow over his face.

“Is that really true though?” Sarah wondered aloud. “Think about it, Clock Master. If he could rewind time, he’d do this indefinitely and Death would never actually _get_ to access the souls. The game would never end.”

“Well, it would after a while when it gets just _too_ boring to handle,” reminded Monoputa. “But Death’s been a naughty boy, so those souls miiiight just be a big no-no for him~!”

“Naughty? Are you saying he’s interfered?” Catherine asked.

The prompter slammed a hand over his mouth. “Oop! I’ve said too much!”

Sarah clicked her fingers as a lightbulb switched on in her head. “Death told me what Gold said when he was murdered! And then helped me find Chef’s tooth after Steve died!”

“Yeah, which is why he is in BIG TROUBLE, MISTER. But apparently he pitied you guys or something. Said it wasn’t fair if it wasn’t your time to go. But I guess he wanted those lost souls more than he cared about you~,” Monoputa teased, sticking out his tongue.

Judgement Boy smiled. “Remind me to thank Fritz for giving you such great wit.”

The two snickered together but Sarah wasn’t paying attention. _Death… He really did break those rules for us. It hurts that he didn’t stop Judgement Boy from doing this though… He could have done something! But in the end, he really was a great and understanding guy, risking them for our wellbeing._

“But…why did he want those souls in the first place?” Sarah asked, voicing her thoughts.

“That’s just what Death does! He gets the souls of people who’ve died and does whatever the hell he needs to. Takes care of them I suppose, however you want to interpret that,” Judgement Boy grinned again.

_Sickening,_ Sarah thought.

“But, you ever heard of cheating Death?” Monoputa laughed, his boss, after processing it for a moment, joined in a few seconds later.

“But why would there be lost souls of dead people in the first place?! What does “lost” even mean!? What kind of reality has this?!?!” Gunman pulled down at the sides of his sombrero.

“Purgatory.”

Gunman smiled incredulously, sweat beading on his forehead. “Ehhh…? Wh-what did you say, señor?”

Judgement Boy tapped his fingers together, glowering maliciously, his face shadowed. “I said… you’re in purgatory. That’s what kind of reality this is. A realm between heaven or hell. A place you escape to when your world is too unbearable.”

Some logical part of Sarah’s brain went fuzzy.

“Th-th-this… This is a joke. It has to be.” Clock Master laughed nervously, his grip on the podium like iron.

“Ugh, how many times do I have to REPEAT myself?” Judgement Boy threw his head back in exasperation. “NOTHING I say in this courtroom is a lie. It’s all TRUE! Now wrap your little drunken brain around it already, you slob!”

“He _is_ telling the truth.” Gregory looked deep in thought. Troubled, even.

“Wh…at..?” Clock Master croaked.

“I’m afraid our adversary isn’t lying. We indeed _are_ in purgatory. Beyond death.” Gregory said ominously.

Gunman began nervously spouting gibberish and Catherine raised a hand to silence him.

“Hold on. Just _how_ do you know?” She asked.

Gregory gripped his head. “As odd as it may seem, something in my head is telling me he’s right. Hmph, perhaps it is a memory?”

“Then there’s no denying it…” Sarah murmured, almost inaudibly.

_And somehow… I always had a feeling it was something like that. I just never wanted to admit it._ Sarah clutched at her chest in a vain attempt to calm her pounding heart.

There was a momentary pause before Devil Dog started to cackle.

“If only Angel Dog was here for this!” The purple mutt wiped away a tear. “Man, this would RUIN her!”

“W-w-w-wait, wait! WE ARE ALREADY DEAD?! HOW DO WE GO BACK TO REALITY?!?!” Cactus Gunman was sweating bullets and pulling down on the edges of his sombrero in distress.

Judgement Boy sighed and said: “Death has his ways. He’ll get your human bodies back and shine ‘em up. This whole gig wouldn’t work without him.”

Gunman let out a pathetic cry. “I… that can’t be! H-how did I…?” He briefly looked at his hands before clenching them into fists. Then he looked desperately at Judgement Boy. “A-and my seester! Is she…?”

“Yep yep! Gone gone gone,” Judgement Boy smiled wickedly. “How does it feel? Come on, say the magic word.”

He shook his head vigorously and bit his lip, trying to keep control. Some part of Sarah amidst all the commotion wanted to go to him. To comfort him and seek comfort as they always had. But right now the floor beneath Sarah’s feet seemed unsteady, and was doing her best to stay balanced and quietly quell her mental chaos.

“Th-then my body right now-! M-my son-!” Clock Master slammed his fist onto his podium so hard it shook. Sarah sensed he was holding back tears. “DAMN! I need a drink…”

Monoputa snorted. “Yeah. Hate to imagine how he must be feeling, right?” Despite the kind words, he had an eyebrow raised and was smiling with some cruel interest.

“You and your master… you’re both sick men. I’m far past disgusted,” Catherine glared various pointy objects at Monoputa, despite her shaking voice.

Sarah took a shaky breath. _So this is purgatory. I can’t believe it. All the lost souls, Death, the strange creatures… This is how they come in. How they exist at all._ It all fit together in some obscure puzzle _._ But one with a strange shape and so confusing that when you put it together, you had to take a step back to see what you’d made. But one thing was missing.

“Why?” Sarah asked weakly, looking up at Judgement Boy. She now placed most of her weight in her hands, relying on her podium to hold her. “Why are we even here at all?”

“But my dear Sarah, that’s the best _part.”_ He placed a hand on his chest. “And you can’t expect me to give a long-winded explanation for each of you, so I’ll dumb it down to a level that you can understand: you escaped here. Each of your realities was so _painful_ to endure that you ran from your problems, right to my hotel.”

_“My_ hotel,” Gregory interjected again.

Judgement Boy pursed his lips in annoyance. “Of course, your family is the exception. I guess you were like our jail warden, huh? Well, at least to Neko Zombie.”

“Our realities… were too painful?” Catherine repeated. _“Oh_ God…”

There was a sombre acknowledgement on everyone’s faces, as though they all could determine a reason they would have run away. All of course, except Devil Dog.

“Painful realities, huh?” She scratched her forehead with a spike on her pitchfork. “Heck, I’m probably the _reason_ poor Angel Dog escaped!” She laughed to herself. “Hey, if we were just here to run away and live our lives in a crummy hotel, I’d say you _brightened up_ our lives with this killing game. It’s more interesting than anything _these_ twits could come up with,” Devil Dog said to the mastermind, her eyes shining with admiration. “You did us a goddamn _favour.”_

“How on earth can you _say_ that!” Catherine hissed through her needle-like teeth.

Sarah’s head was reeling so much that she welcomed the familiar banter. Were everyone’s lives really so painful? She could see through all of them.

Clock Master’s drinking would lead to all kinds of chaos and irresponsible parenting. He tried so hard but in the end, his kind heart could never forgive him for the damage his brain couldn’t prevent him from doing.

Gunman as well, for all his machismo, was a terrible shot and a coward. His family fiercely meant everything to him, but his kindness couldn’t let him be the warrior he aspired to be and his tough words only got him into trouble he didn’t have the skill to dig himself out of. In a lot of regards, he was a failure. A failure of a protector, a failure of a combatant, a failure of a man.

Of course, anyone who lived with Devil Dog, a whole other person, was bound to come with their share of problems. _For all Angel Dog’s composure, I never expected she’d be someone to escape from reality. But with her villainous, sadistic dark side, I would too._

And of course, Catherine. _If I’d asked myself this before the fourth trial, I wouldn’t of had a clue._ There was no doubt that her professionalism was compromised, even hazardous or deadly, when Catherine was around needles. Surely that would give her trouble with work in reality - no one would hire her! _And love…_ Sarah thought, remembering how much of a hopeless romantic Catherine was. _Although that isn’t much of a problem now._

With Gregory as the ringleader, perhaps he never had a reality to escape from. _Although there’s no guarantee his life wasn’t hell with his mother around,_ Sarah thought grimly.

_But what about me?_

Sarah racked her brain, scraping every centimetre to think of what her reason could be. She knew she was a psychology student… But there was nothing bad about that! What was so awful that she would want to… to…

“Is that all?” Clock Master asked pathetically, looking to the ground and supporting himself with his podium. In his anguish, he squeezed his eyes shut. “Is that all your damned mysteries for us?! Haven’t we done enough!?”

“Tch, yeah, yeah, smarty pants, “that’s all,”” Judgement Boy said sourly. He mocked Clock Master, miming his words with a makeshift claw-hand puppet.

Sarah’s heart leapt. “Does this mean you’ll let us leave?”

“Ah-ah-ah! Not so fast,” Judgement Boy said gently, pressing a finger to her lips. “Are you _sure_ this is what you want?”

She barely noticed his touch, frowning in thought. Suddenly, she felt at a loss for words - as though they were more than ready to burst out her throat with the right answer when they suddenly just… stopped. Of _course_ this was what she wanted. _Wasn’t it?_

“It’s time to vote!” Boomed Judgement Boy. His arms swung stellarly in a wide sweep, proud and confident. _He sure bounced back quickly from having all his mysteries unearthed._ “The gavel, Monoputa!”

“Yes sir!” Monoputa chirped back excitedly. Sarah couldn’t help seeing the old Judgement Boy’s undying love for Gold reflected in the little prompter.

Once he slammed his gavel with a loud _smash_ , voting panels with two buttons appeared in front of all six of the remaining guests’ podiums. One was labelled “stay”, the other “escape”.

“Monoputa, grab the infographic cards!” Judgement Boy barked.

As swiftly as he had spoken, Monoputa plucked two very large sheets of paper with poor, crude, crayon illustrations on them from thin air. “Already on it, boss!”

“Perfect~,” Judgement Boy purred. He cleared his throat and began:

“So, on the buzzers before you you can vote to escape, to return to reality, to the miserable lives you once led and the horrible, uncertain future that awaits you.”

Monoputa held a sign depicting the six of them all with big ticks beneath them. An arrow was drawn from it, pointing to lots of question marks and a sad frowny face.

“I, of course, will accept my due punishment and you will all be returned to your bodies unharmed,” he continued. “And this communal life you lead will cease to exist. You may never see each other again. _That_ is the truth you must face.”

Beneath the question marks, a big X’ed out Judgement Boy was depicted, as well as the six of them, very far apart. The little prompter pointed to it, chuckling

“Or, you can choose to rewind. To forget the tragedy that awaits you if you were to leave and stay here, among friends, together away from all your troubles. Here, you have an escape from that world that has proven intolerable.”

Quickly, Monoputa switched to his other piece of paper, showing all six of the guests with large crosses beneath them. An arrow was drawn from this too, but led to a cutesy hand-holding ring with everyone, including Judgement Boy and Monoputa, smiling together.

“The choice is yours. But remember, if even _one_ of you votes to stay here, I’ll consider it a win for me, and a rewind will commence,” the mastermind concluded smugly.

Monoputa quickly flipped his last card over, which showed all six of them, each with ticks under them again - except for Gunman, who had a cross underneath him. The arrow leading from that led to the same hand-holding ring.

“That’s sick… You’re sick! What’re we even fighting for?!” Clock Master howled.

“What about me?!” Asked Gregory.

Judgement Boy chuckled to himself. “What am I, a guidance counsellor? I don’t know, old man. Do whatever the hell you want.”

“After all this time, Chef and everyone else… Everything they died for was a reality too horrible to face,” Catherine breathed, daintily placing a hand on her forehead. “And you won’t even let us split up and decide the course of our own fate?”

After two firm head shakes from Judgement Boy, she scowled to herself.

“I always knew balancing work and my desires as a woman would be difficult. Now I know it’s impossible. And if I never see Angel again… is it really worth it?” Catherine murmured.

Gregory sighed. “Speak for yourself. There’s no reality for me to return _to._ I’ve always had my Mama and James. No home and no family… Nothing good can befall an old rat like me, especially one so close to the end of his life.”

“What life is there even left for _me?_ Without my seester… We faced everything together. How can I go on?” Cactus Gunman whimpered.

“I thought if I could see my son again, I could make things right,” said Clock Master. “But it turns out I already had that chance, and I threw it away! How can I ever face him now?”

“Well hell no would I ever vote to go,” Devil Dog scoffed. “You already know _that.”_

_Everyone…_ Sarah thought weakly. _They can’t do it… Their faces are ridden with despair._

Two life changing choices were in front of her. Which would she pick?

**> Stay in the hotel**

**> Escape to reality**

_I choose…_

**> Escape to reality**

_No… No matter how bleak it may seem, I can’t lose hope! I won’t!_

“There’s no way in hell I’m letting you get your way, Judgement Boy!” Sarah voice was brimming with determination. She clenched her fists, as if she were holding onto the very freedom she sought. “We’ve done nothing to deserve this! Every one of us is worth a second chance. I don’t care what you say, I’ve come too far! Even if your choice is tempting, or if our lives are pathetic, I won’t back down. We’ll just have to fix it!”

Judgement Boy snorted, raising an eyebrow. “Do you have any idea how _lame_ you just sounded, Sarah? Come on. You’re just being unreasonable because you can’t stand my lovely-lovely truth.”

“No, I’m not.” Frowning, Sarah persisted, an angry fire growing.

All her intolerance for the cruelty they faced and the sacrifices they had made didn’t mean _anything_ if she let him have his way. This was the crux, the pinnacle of their efforts, do or die. Her passionate flame burned brighter than ever, and she clung to it with an almost childlike, but indisputable stubbornness.

Now all she had to was spread it, like a candle igniting other wicks. With enough effort, they could light their own way.

“I’m saying that because I _know_ everyone here. Better than you, obviously,” she snapped.

Without giving him a chance to respond, she quickly turned to one of her most collected and persuasive companions.

“Catherine, don’t you see? The love of your life is _right in front of you.”_ She insisted. She gestured in Devil Dog’s direction somewhat overdramatically, but given the circumstances, she hardly paid attention to it. “If we leave here together, how can you lose her? You can find a way, _make a way_ to meet together in the real world. A meeting point, a broadcast, _something!_ You need to hold on and never let go! And if she understands you as well as I think she does, you won’t need to find much of a balance between work and you two. She already accepts you for who you are, flaws and all, and I know you’ve done the same for her.”

Devil Dog sneered. “Who’re you calling a flaw?”

Rolling her eyes, Sarah ignored her and pressed on. “You just need to communicate, openly and honestly. You’ll find a compromise. What you need for a better life is _already here._ Don’t give up now.”

Judgement Boy raised an eyebrow mockingly and Sarah held her breath. _Please, Catherine…_

The lizard let out a small laugh and cursed herself. “Of course it would be one of your speeches that lets me see through this man’s lies. I’ve been such a fool. I should’ve known I have responsibilities at home. Work. People who rely on me. What kind of woman would I be if I abandoned that?

A gentle expression flickered to life. “Oh and Angel Dog… That lovely darling… She makes me feel like such a woman. I couldn’t bear to lose her.” Catherine let out little moans of delight while Sarah tried to keep her stomach’s contents where they belonged. “You’re right! If this is love, we’ll find a way. I’ll never lose sight of that, or my future career. I just have to _make_ it work!”

She straightened up, her predatory eyes now targeting her solemn companions. Their expressions made Sarah’s heart break, but she refused to let it get to her; if anyone could help her persuade them, it was Catherine. Unfortunately, they looked back at their lizard friend without any real inflection, still wallowing in their own problems.

“Gregory!” Catherine called sternly.

“Uwah!” The old rat jumped to attention.

“Straighten up. You’ll develop back problems at that rate. Bones are brittle at your age, now take care of them or it’ll be too late,” she instructed. Sarah could see a new positive energy in her eyes. She cared, despite her harsh tone.

“Back on the job, Catherine?” Judgement Boy asked drily.

“I’ve got to keep taking care of people when I return to reality. And I’m not giving up on this man’s health,” she insisted with a scowl. Then she rolled her eyes. “Don’t get me started on Clock Master and his liver.”

“I’m afraid your efforts are in vain, my friend,” Gregory said, looking disappointed. “As I said, there’s no home left for me. Back problems or not, my future is certainly not pleasant.”

“Gregory, you’re just letting him get to you,” said Sarah. “When we escape, you can find a new home - somewhere you like. You can make it all your own. Home has never just been a fixed place. And you’ve still got friends in us! Maybe you don’t have relatives, but we - and the friends you’ll make in the future - we all still count for something, right?”

“Perhaps you’re right…” he murmured, placing a hand to his chin. “In fact… I think I _do_ have a home: this hotel.”

Sarah’s jaw dropped. _Is he serious…?_

“There may be a future for me here. I can accept guests like I used to. I may not be under the watchful eye of my mother, nor will James be under mine,” he continued, smiling a little, “but with these new guests, I won’t be alone. And maybe I could nab a few souls for myself. It seemed to work well enough for Mama.”

He chuckled mischievously to himself and Sarah exchanged a shocked glance with Catherine. She couldn’t say his choice was unpredictable. In a way, this _was_ his reality. _If it makes him happy, I suppose there’s nothing wrong with it,_ Sarah reasoned to herself. _Not to mention it stops Judgement Boy and Monoputa in their tracks._

In the end, Sarah was proud. It took a lot of courage to face the unknown and take control of your life, especially being under someone’s thumb for so long.

“Then… perhaps there is still hope for me too?” Cactus Gunman regained a little bit of his spirit.

“HAH. There’s no way _you’d_ ever make friends,” said Judgement Boy, looking genuinely amused by the notion. At the same time, Sarah sensed a jealous, hateful pride. “You’re useless. An idiot.  A failed revolutionary. No one wants to be friends with a failure. You’ve already been run out of every town you stayed in - your goddamn _sister_ was the _only_ one who stuck around you. Know why? Because you missed your shot in the duel that would have led your revolution to victory. Or did you forget?” He gracefully placed a hand over his cheeky, innocent smile while Devil Dog let out a sharp bark of laughter. “Oops.”

Each word he said was a shot to Gunman’s already horrid self image. By the end of the schpiel, the poor cactus looked like he might sob, if he wasn’t built to retain water. He seemed a little angry too, but shame was by far his most overpowering emotion.

Something twinged in the recesses of Sarah’s mind. Like the sudden drop of an object weighing more than expected or the snap of a guitar string. Something so minor, so seemingly ordinary, which shoved her over the edge. Baring her teeth, she felt red-hot, raw anger, but also the cool tranquility of utter devotion and affection that came with caring for someone. Biting her tongue, she desperately tried not to breathe fire at the hellish mastermind.

The poor cactus managed to stammer out: “TV Fish…he showed… I never knew… H-how do you know this?”

“I have a rather enlightening, poorly drawn collection of comic books,” grinned Judgement Boy, folding his hands under his chin. “Monoputa?”

With a small salute, Monoputa disappeared and returned in a flash, placing a stack of five yellow books on his boss’ podium. A glimpse of them revealed Gunman himself on the cover. It wasn’t actually half bad. It irritated Sarah to know Judgement Boy would never admit that. The mastermind licked a finger and began to skim through one of the volumes.

“Wait… Did _Gunman_ draw that?” Devil Dog’s smile was enormous.

“Sad really,” he scoffed, confirming Devil Dog’s assumption. “Even in your old life, your sister was the tough one. Taking all the shots; solving all the problems; lassoing people who even _looked_ at you funny.” He stopped flicking through and chuckled to himself as though he read a part that was incredibly amusing. “You really can’t hit for shit.”

That was _it._

Sarah lurched forward and savagely gripped her podium so hard it might splinter. “Leave him _alone!”_

Judgement Boy paused mid finger-lick, still skimming the pages. He stared at her like this for a couple seconds, interested. Then the corners of his mouth lifted slowly into a smile, as though they were on strings. He slowly, slowly finished his lick and narrowed his eyes.

“Oh?”

The cool disgust was somehow more terrifying than his anger. Sarah felt a tinge of regret.

He leaned in close to her and asked, snarling: “What don’t you understand about him being a Useless. Pile. Of. Trash?”

Sarah’s anger flared again. She was sick of Gunman being pushed around! “That’s all people like you ever _tell_ him he’ll be! But Gunman is the sweetest, most genuinely caring person out of _all_ of us! He fights for what he believes in. That’s more than you! You don’t believe in anything!”

“I don’t need to believe.” Judgement Boy scowled and leaned back. “And as “sweeeet” as he is, not even _you_ can change how those other people perceive him. It’s a simple fact.”

Gregory hummed thoughtfully. “Well I know _I’d_ have a nice drink with him anytime he asked. I’m sure our dear friend Clock Master would agree.”

Clock Master smiled agreeably. But it was obvious his heart wasn’t in it.

Judgement Boy rolled his eyes. “Well _you’re_ not the people from his reality. Need I repeat myself? Only his sister put up with him there.”

“Cactus Girl would _never_ “put up” with someone. She stayed with him because she _loved_ him,” said Catherine. “Why else would she have stayed, even when he lost that duel?”

Sarah couldn’t help the painful flash of nostalgia as she remembered how much Cactus Girl looked up to Catherine, and how the latter’s diary talked of them being close. Quickly, she switched back to the matter at hand.

“If your bonds as a family with Gold and the other Judgement Boys were anything like what those two had, then maybe you’d understand what we’re talking about,” Sarah retorted.

Judgement Boy placed a surprised hand on his chest and looked at her with disgust. Her savagery actually impressed him, but he never let it show.

“Please… please Sarah,” Gunman finally spoke. He was conflicted.  “There is no need to go to this length for me. You are kind, but, even if what you say is true, there is no life left in that world for me. I have nothing to return to. Even trying my best, I cannot get what I desire, especially if it is already lost.”

“But Gunman, that’s the best part,” Sarah whispered gently. She side-stepped Catherine to reach his podium and took his hand. He was so compassionate, even when backed into a corner. “You’re brave enough to try, even if it is fruitless. The passion you have can’t be bought or trained. But you can always learn skills, like how to improve your aim or what it takes to carve your own way.”

Their eyes met. _He…looks a little hopeful. Thankful. Devoted._

“You won’t have no one, Gunman. I’m here. We all are. We can make a new beginning for you. Together.” Said Sarah.

He bit his lip. “Will you really stay with me? I er, I don’t know if I can face that reality alone.”

“I’m barfing over here!” Judgement Boy whined. Devil Dog just wrinkled her nose.

“It’s the least I can do to pay you back for all the times you helped me. Plus,” she smiled softly to herself, “we make a good team. In mysteries, in grief…”

“I am glad we’re able to support each other so much,” he finished, and pressed a soft kiss to her lips.

“Oh COME ON!” Judgement Boy leaned back in exasperation. “Get it OVER WITH ALREADY!”

For once, Gunman wasn’t shaken by his threat; his gaze never strayed from Sarah. It was as though he was in his own little world with nothing but the girl in front of him. He looked positive, even excited and of course, red in the face, just like Sarah.

“Heh, well then!” He said, sounding pleased and confident. “If you are with me, then I will stand by you, as I always do, my señorita. Let us face reality!”

“Oh hurrah,” Clock Master muttered, half impressed, half bitter. “At least there’s a chance for a good life for some of us, eh?”

“Clock Master…” Sarah whispered, tightening her grip on Gunman’s hand.

“Sarah, move your smart ass back to your position!” Monoputa said, pointing the gavel at her.

With a last look at Gunman, she quickly dashed back to her place, trying to remove the dazed fog from her head. All the while, she cursed herself under her breath. _Crap, I should have known!_ _He’s the only one without a brighter outlook now. Trying to convince him last just made him feel neglected and isolated. Now he has to deal with those feelings_ on top _of his self-loathing._

“Come now, what would your son say if he saw you moping like this?” Gregory coaxed.

“No doubt the same things he already says,” the old clock sighed.

Catherine grunted in annoyance. “For God’s sake, man up and _stop_ _moping_. There are bigger things at stake right now.”

Clock Master blinked at her in surprise and frowned. _“Moping?_ Are you hearing yourself? I’ve been trying to be the father my son needs the whole damn time we’ve been here and I’ve failed at every step! Look at me. I still drink, and I couldn’t protect those poor boys from being murdered!”

“Er, to be fair,” Cactus Gunman lifted a finger. “In these circumstances, I too have had tequila _many-a-time_. This is not a normal place.”

“I suppose I should admit that I too had a drink to calm my nerves every now and then. It’s not unusual to turn to the bottle in times of stress. But Mama never liked that,” Gregory reflected.

“There was nothing we could do about the dying either, señor. That was controlled by the mastermind and his motives. It affected both the boys. You could not change this,” Gunman continued. “Just as I could not change how it affected my seester.”

Clock Master held the sides of his head. “But-but I left! Escaped to the depths of purgatory! If it were any better there, then surely I wouldn’t be here!”

Gunman leaned over his podium and stared intensely at the clock on the other side of the room. “Clock Master, do you love your son?” He asked.

“Yes,” Clock Master replied, his voice croaking.

“More than anything?” said Gunman.

“Of course!”

“Then you must _be there for him._ To protect him.” Gunman said seriously. “To make sure he is looked after and only has the best. It is what I did.”

Clock Master squeezed his eyes shut. “But what if my best isn’t enough? What if he doesn’t love me?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Catherine said sternly. “You have to care for him and put him first before _everything else._ This is a _child,_ and as his legal guardian, he needs _you.”_ She sighed, perhaps aware she was being a bit harsh. “You’re passionate enough for the job, that’s for sure.”

“It is just as Sarah said. You cannot teach that passion you have,” Cactus Gunman smirked.

“But I’m telling you I’m not competent enough!” Clock Master insisted desperately. “He…He deserves a _better_ father!”

“The fact that he needs that is exactly why you can’t give up!” Sarah shot back. “All this time you’ve shown that your resilience is off the charts. You keep failing and getting back up. Eventually you _will_ get it right and find a way. You _have_ to.”

“Not to mention someone as bright and bubbly as you is hard not to like,” Gunman chuckled. He was still in a surprisingly good mood.

“I… I suppose you’re right. I’ll have to face him with my head held high. This may even be a good lesson for him: he’ll see it’s okay to make mistakes. As long as you persist and attempt to better yourself, you’re doing the right thing. I’ll be the man my son needs, and can grow to love,” Clock Master said firmly.

A grin returned to his face, but it was less bubbly, and more mature and confident. He placed his hand on the “escape” button, yet to press it. “Ready when you lot are!”

_Everyone… they really believe in themselves. I know they can do it! Except…_ Devil Dog flicked an ear and frowned, thoughtfully looking at the ground. _If we don’t do something about her, we’ll still have lost,_ Sarah thought worriedly.

Judgement Boy flipped his hair. “You and your pep talks… You’re a real pest, Sarah, you know that? But don’t think you’re out of the thick of this yet! Devil Dog here is the ultimate trump card!” His voice rose with anger and his face had turned to a snarl again.

A small holler of approval emanated from Monoputa, going unacknowledged by all.

Devil Dog turned a judgemental gaze to Judgement Boy. “This pity party is delusional, so I’m not swayed. Still think that a rewind is a hell of a lot more interesting than getting outta here, too. But your little argument was so easily overrun by these pipsqueaks that it’s just pathetic. I ain’t making this choice for _you_ anymore.” She chuckled to herself. “But _man_ do I wanna see where this goes!”

_You can’t even_ fight _that kind of logic! There isn’t any even there!_ Sarah thought, feeling angry and distressed.

“Oh God…Angel Dog, I _know_ you’re in there!” said Catherine.

Gregory huffed. “She was always such a pest. Please, see reason!”

“Don’t waste your breath,” Devil Dog said. Her eyes lit up with excitement. “Let’s get this started already!”

Judgement Boy nodded at Monoputa. “Alright! Time to start the vote! Everyone press one of the buzzers front of you!” Monoputa announced.

“Devil Dog, please!” Clock Master begged.

“No way, sunshine. I’m not going back to that boring hell!” Devil Dog sneered back.

Suddenly, the dog reached out towards the “stay” button. As Sarah’s breath caught in her throat, ready to scream out in dismay, Devil Dog stopped in her tracks. She winced and made a grunt like something was paining her and looked at her arm. A collective gasp of varying emotions captured the room as some of her fur began to turn bright yellow. _Angel Dog!! Yes!_

Devil Dog, on the other hand, was not so pleased. She seemed stiff. Unnaturally frozen in place, all apart from her gradually yellowing arm, which shook with tremendous effort. The sisters pulled and tugged either way, in a match of equally powerful willpower and restraint.

“N-no! Not now! Grrrragh!” Said Devil Dog.

The yellow continued to spread, slowly but surely and Devil Dog’s forehead began to form beads of sweat.

“What the hell?” Clock Master asked slowly.

Monoputa kneeled up on his chair and watched them intently. Angry smoke came out of his little prompter ears. “The hell _is_ that?! Just-Just press the button already!”

“Qu-quiet everyone! We must let her…er…do whatever that is!” Cactus Gunman advocated confusedly, retreating to the left side of his podium. He had the unfortunate pleasure of standing next to them.

Gregory’s eyes just goggled. A sly glance to her left and Sarah saw Judgement Boy had a stoic, unreadable expression. Sarah’s own heart pounded like a drum and leapt when Catherine started to run to the poor pooch.

“No! Stay!” Sarah yelled to her. “We _all_ need to vote, we can’t do this without you.”

Catherine paused, looking helpless, but soon nodded and returned to her place.

As her friends yelled out to cheer on Angel Dog, Sarah remained transfixed on the sight before her.

“No! Stop it!” Every word of Devil Dog’s sounded painful. “Let..go..of.. _me!”_

She bent over, a pained yell escaping from her before she let out eerily dog-like howls. As the dog clutched her head, Sarah realised this wasn’t Devil Dog anymore. Split straight down the middle, an entire _half_ of this dog’s appearance was just like Angel Dog, and the other half Devil Dog. In jerky movements, the dog jolted around, at war with itself. Amidst the chaos, Sarah saw what was actually happening.

The purple paw, on the dog’s left, kept attempting to press the “stay” button, and the yellow was trying to press “escape”. To stop each other, they would often paw at the other arm or throw that half of the body back. It was a constant back and forth, with no clear winner.

“LET… _GO!”_ They yelled, their words were mix of both their voices.

Suddenly Devil Dog’s side stiffened, her arm glued to her side. The yellow paw shakily made its way to the “escape” button.

“Stop!! STOP!” Came the dog’s voice.

“Quick! Everyone! Escape!” Sarah yelled.

Everyone pushed their own “escape” buttons.

Monoputa’s jaw dropped. “You can’t be serious. Devil Dog, stop her!”

With tremendous force, the yellow paw hit its mark. Not a second later Angel/Devil Dog went up in a puff of smoke, Angel Dog appearing in their place. She fell to her knees. After exchanging a look with Sarah, Catherine ran to Angel Dog’s side, stroking her fur and giving her a firm hug.

Meanwhile, the enormous TV screen descended from the ceiling with the slot machine depicted on it. After flipping around for a few moments, it landed on three images of mastermind Judgement Boy’s disfigured face. That familiar, evil cheering came out of the TV’s speakers and “GUILTY!” flashed on top of the slot machine in bright neon lights.

“That girl has iiiissuuuues~. Almost _glad_ we split now,” Monoputa said, looking slightly disturbed. “But… boss?”

He looked more unsettled and confused than Sarah had ever _seen_ before.

“Boss did we…did we lose?”

Sarah followed Monoputa’s gaze. Judgement Boy’s head was bowed, shadowed. The too-thin fingers delicately held the podium.

Suddenly, his shoulders began to shrug. First once, then twice. Then more in rapid succession. It was only when Sarah heard a soft wheeze and his hand rose to his face that she realised he was _laughing._ It grew louder, to chuckles, to something heartier. His other hand moved to hold his forehead, to grasp his hair. It pushed up his face until he was in full view.

Sarah didn’t know whether to pity him or be afraid when she saw the tear tracks down his cheeks. Then he dissolved into the most uncontrollable laugh she had ever witnessed. His eyes were pathetic, helpless, full of despair.

She exchanged a worried glance with Gunman and heard Clock Master ask if they had truly done it, making himself audible over Catherine’s soft consolation.

“Won?!” Judgement Boy lurched over his podium, steadying himself and pulling at his hair. “HAHAHAHA! YES, yes you won!”

He laughed some more to the point where even Gregory was disturbed. Judgement Boy fell to his knees, his upper body sprawled over his podium.

“This feeling… aaah this _feeling!_ The utter _despair_. Monoputa, do you feel it?!” He reached out a clawed hand to his underling, drool escaping from his lips. “After all my hard work, those _years_ of _clawing_ to the top… TO LOSE! AhahahahahaHA! We lost, Monoputa, we lost!”

“But boss are we…gonna get executed?” He asked hesitantly.

“Yes, you have to keep your word!” Clock Master said sternly.

“Ha..haha…” The mastermind wiped at his mouth. “Of course! Of course. As said, I will accept due punishment - as will my underling too!”

_“What?!”_ said Monoputa, stepping backwards. He frowned, his tone growing angry. “But-but boss! I don’t know if you remember but I’m _invincible~!”_

“I know that. I built you!” He snapped. Then he clasped his face and looked at Monoputa like an eager child looks at the newest toy in the store. “I’m jealous. Super jealous. _Ultra_ jealous. The execution will go on and on and on and on! In the end, we’ll get our way! Isn’t that exciting?!”

“Heck no!” After Judgement Boy glared daggers at him, Monoputa fumbled for justification. “Boss there’s so much more we could do! Just think about it~. That lab has a loooot of potential! We could-”

“Don’t you RUIN THIS FOR ME!” Judgement Boy roared. His eyes were bulging and he gripped his podium iron tight. “Monoputa you will _press that button_ and we will _have_ _the time of our lives!”_

Monoputa gulped and sat back down. “Yes sir.”

“Alright everyone!” Judgement Boy was suddenly composed and clapped his hands together like a school teacher, drawing everyone to attention. “I’d say it’s been a pleasure, but we know it bloody hasn’t. This isn’t so much for you as it is for me! Death’s despair…So ultimate… All I wanted was to infect everyone in the hotel with it. And now I save the ultimate pleasure for last! A special punishment worthy of being the final one! Let’s give it everything we got!”

With a final, suave wink, from Judgement Boy, Monoputa slammed his gavel onto the red button.

**_THE DEVIL’S DUE!_ **

A chain exploded from the back of the room and clamped onto Judgement Boy’s neck. He gripped it, smiling eagerly.

“Sorry boss. Not today!” Said Monoputa with a pang of regret and he disappeared in flash.

Judgement Boy yelled angrily, but was suddenly interrupted by a fierce pull from the chain. He was dragged over Judgement Boy Gold’s portrait which fell to the floor with a clang. Sarah gasped as two metal poles emerged from an opening in the floor. The moment Judgement Boy’s body was flung directly between them, four cords shot out of the poles and tied up each of his limbs. The poles wobbled from the force but held strong and Judgement Boy looked up dizzily.

Around him, racks and racks of weapons of all shapes, kinds and sizes emerged from trap doors in the floor.

Judgement Boy chuckled. “Have at me.”

“Wh-what?” Said Sarah.

“Isn’t this what you want? I put you through hell, little lady! Now you and your friends can have aaallllll the reveeenge you want.”

Sarah recoiled, the picture of disgust. “I-I’m not-! I can’t! I’m not that kind of person!” _Right?_

“I knew this boy was a loon…” Clock Master whispered.

He had no discernable expression and Sarah couldn’t say that wasn’t concerning. Meanwhile Gregory was simply marvelling the instruments of torture. _Is he thinking about which to use?_

To her right, Sarah saw Gunman was breathing heavily, shaking and his eyes fixed intently on the helpless murderer. As she puzzled over the thoughts going through his head, Catherine left Angel Dog’s side and approached the weapon racks.

“See?! _She’s_ got the right idea!” Said Judgement Boy. “Come on, do I have to remind you what I did? I butchered everyone in the hotel! Your friends! Don’t you want to avenge them?”

“Never mind them,” Catherine’s voice shook. She grabbed a mace. “For what you just put Angel Dog through… I will _never forgive you!”_

She struck him across the face with a decisive blow and Sarah let out a yell, covering her mouth. Judgement Boy’s head hung low and he spat out some blood, smiling. A genuine, almost cute laugh escaped his toothy mouth.

“That all you got?” He asked in a gravelly tone, looking up at her.

With a cold voice, she responded: “not even the half of it,” and gave him another strike.

“Th-this is insane!” Sarah stammered out, walking backwards as though it would take her away from here. But she couldn’t tear her eyes away no matter how hard she tried.

_We can’t do this! We can’t! I’m not a murderer!_ Her heart thundered in her chest. But this was the man that caused them so much strife. And now that he was handed to them on a silver platter, was it wrong to do it? Was she able? And if this was his own desire, wasn’t she still playing into his hands until his last breath?

Judgement Boy turned his head to an alienated but interested Clock Master. “You know I bet your son would look nice in one of my photos. What do you think? The playroom? Or is the graveyard more tasteful?”

Clock Master balled his fists. “You sinister son of a bitch, you won’t get the chance!”

Before Sarah knew it, Clock Master was starting for the mastermind while Catherine took this as her cue to take another reprimanding swing. Almost unfazed, Judgement Boy looked angrily at the non participating guests.

“You’re weak. You’re all _weak!_ Pathetic! You can’t bear to give your dead chums what they wanted, even after they died! You all deserved what you got! And know what? So did they!”

Before long, Gregory, Gunman, even Angel Dog all snapped out of their daze and started to give the beast his long overdue punishment. The latter had more difficulty, propping herself up on her podium and flying over unsteadily.

“This is for what you and that black and white monster did me!” Angel Dog struck Judgement in the face with a clawed paw. “I can’t believe you! You violated my body and mind and don’t even regret it! You’re sick sick sick!”

Sarah’s own feet began forward and with a frown, she realised they were right. This man was a horrible monster, inhumane. A couple hits for what he did to his brothers, to Steve, to her friends. That was fine, right? With a grim expression, she took a metal bat in her hand.

There was hacking and slashing, it was brutal and bloody, and Judgement Boy’s face was struck over and over and over. The very structure of his body began to bend and break, bones and limbs snapping, the metal on his face chipping and chipping away. His clothes tore and deep bloodied cuts welled in their place, oozing oily blood, not unlike Judgement Boy Gold’s.

Judgement Boy just laughed and laughed, relishing every hit and spitting out irritating taunts. Sarah just wanted to shut him up! She was tired of it! Accruing sweat and releasing strained pants, Sarah put in a villainous effort, feeling the subtle splash of blood. He spat out teeth and before long, with the combined efforts of six people, there was a distinct, wide hole in his skull. Inside was a network of metal and bone and Sarah couldn’t help taking half a second to admire the all the intricate work Judgement Boy put into redesigning himself, right down to the tiniest shard of metal. Right in the centre of the mangled hole, pulsating with effort, was Judgement Boy’s brain.

“Wait! Wait!” Gunman yelled. As everyone slowly stopped their dark deed to look at him, he did the unthinkable.

Gunman placed his gun against Judgement Boy’s forehead, the chamber right in the open hole. The two looked at each other, the former with resolute determination, the latter with a daring gleam in his eyes and a taunting smile.

“I won’t miss this time.” Gunman whispered.

He pulled the trigger. A single bullet pierced Judgement Boy’s skull, sending it reeling backwards. Gunman too was affected by the force and stumbled back a few steps before uncertainly steadying himself. Judgement Boy’s head hung limp.

“Gunman… You did it,” Sarah murmured, placing a hand on his shoulder.

In a rush, Sarah felt the blood drain from her face. Her hands shook and nausea churned her insides. Before anyone even had a chance to react, a ding came from the elevator.

“Holy shit. I didn’t think you’d have the balls to pull that off!” Came a unwelcome and familiar voice.

Everyone wheeled around, coming eye to eye with Monoputa, who was exiting the elevator. Beside him was a prompter Sarah had never seen before. She was half white, like Monoputa, but her other half was pink and had a heart for an eye. Like a small child, she clung tightly to Monoputa’s hand. She looked around, lost, but her eyes bulged in shock when they rested on Judgement Boy’s lifeless body.

“Hwawa! What did you do?!” She gasped.

“Who on earth is _that?”_ Gregory asked, raising his eyebrows.

“Hey, she was that prompter from the lab!” Said Angel Dog.

The old rat looked at her with a bewildered expression. “The prototype?!”

“Yeah, and my little sister too, who by the way needs to _shut up and learn her place~,”_ sang Monoputa, giving her a smack on the back of the head.

“Owww…” She whined, rubbing her injury.

“Well what do you want _now?”_ Catherine asked, stepping forward threateningly. “You’re finished. Your master is dead.”

A bead of sweat rolled down Monoputa’s face and he chuckled nervously. “Heh. Looks, uh… Looks like it! Come on Monopi!”

He sprinted for the exit, dragging his sister behind him.

Gunman readied his gun again, but Sarah held out her hand to stop him and he put it back in its holster.

“There’s nothing you could do,” she reasoned. _Besides, I still feel sick from what we’ve just done. What kind of people are we? In the end, none of us are untainted. This is still a victory for Judgement Boy. We killed to survive._

Clock Master sighed, shakily dropping his weapon. “So is it really over?”

“I hope so. I don’t think I could take any more surprises,” Gregory said, slouching his shoulders.

“Oh good!” Came a new voice from nearby.

Sarah got chills on the back of her neck. “Who the heck was that?!”

“Me!” It came again.

Gregory and Gunman clung to each other and screamed at the top of their lungs as one of the bonsai plants next to Monoputa’s throne suddenly developed a pair of eyes and a third eye on its forehead. Black paint spread over the potted plant’s red container and Sarah was revolted as a discernable face came into view. It seemed to sprout a body from beneath it, dressed in traditional kabuki garments.

“GOOD GRAVY!” Clock Master yelled as Sarah let out a shriek of her own.

“Oh my God!” Catherine breathed. “You were there the whole time?”

“What the hell?! Who _ARE YOU?”_ Shrieked Angel Dog.

The strange red man looked affronted. “Girls these days are so impolite… _I_ am Bonsai Kabuki~. Such a _shame_ you don’t remember. But we can get to know each other again _very_ soon as I unveil your greatest fantasies~.”

“That’s the unknown person from Judgement Boy’s list,” Sarah murmured, connecting the dots.

“I don’t care who you are!” Gregory violently jabbed an accusing finger at him, splattering blood around him. “I will not deal with this today!”

In an instant, Gregory nabbed Gunman’s gun, turned off the safety and fired one bullet into each of his knees.

“Oh my God GREGORY!” Sarah screamed as Bonsai Kabuki let out a blood curdling wail. She felt like she was going to lose her balance and dizzily grabbed Catherine’s arm to steady herself.

“What the hell are you doing?!” Angel Dog snapped, swatting the gun out of Gregory’s hand with her wand.

“You didn’t do anything and you knew we were trapped down here! You..you..! You _sycophant!_ There’s now way you deserve to _leave_ this hotel!” Gregory said, waving his arms about. It seemed disarmament did not deter the old rat.

Kabuki moaned and whimpered, now in a bloodied mess on the floor.

Clock Master picked his jaw off the floor and grabbed his old friend around the shoulders and gently asked if he was alright.

“I… I’ve had a long day,” said Gregory.

“Perhaps, we should get out of here,” Gunman said, paling.

Catherine hummed in agreement. “I don’t think a man willing to watch us suffer is worth my treatment.”

Kabuki looked at them, his eyes unfocused and glazed with pain. All he could do was moan.

Sarah squeezed her eyes shut and took Gunman’s hand before following Catherine to the elevator.

 

_GHS_

 

The front door had been flung open when Monoputa and Monopi left, leaving an exit wide open for the old residents of the hotel. _I can’t believe it,_ Sarah thought as she approached the inky blackness on the other side of the door. All thoughts of the basement horrors were vanquished from her mind. _We actually… We actually get to leave!_

The others, Gregory excluded, all stood at her side, holding their breaths and taking a moment for mental preparation. The old rat smiled softly, looking around the lobby. With a sigh, Clock Master turned around.

“Gregory, are you sure you want to stay?” He asked.

“I believe so. Although it will be a shame I won’t be able to see you all again,” he said, still smiling. Sarah guessed he was excited for the future that awaited him.

“Quite,” Clock Master said softly. He turned around and paused before looking back at Gregory over his shoulder. “Perhaps, in my attempts to teach my son, I’ll see you again, eh?” He asked hopefully.

“I’ll always have a room ready for you, old friend.”

It brought warmth to Sarah’s heart to watch those two. Maybe Clock Master’s mistakes weren’t such a bad thing after all.

“Are we ready to do this?” She asked.

“Angel Dog and I have already arranged a meeting point,” Catherine flicked her tongue pleasantly.

“Absolutely! I can’t wait to see what Catherine looks like as a human. And me, too! I hope I have a great smile,” Angel Dog sang sweetly.

“Of course you do, sweetie,” Catherine smiled. “And you all remember where to meet?”

“Heh, as if we could forget,” Gunman fixed his sombrero, his face adorned with a confident grin. “I could not stand to miss it. We shall wait patiently for you, Catherine. To have you at my side in the real world would be a blessing. And the rest of you, of course. Especially you, my señorita~.”

Sarah blushed and shoved him lightly. “Stop it!”

The two laughed and Clock Master waggled his eyebrows at her.

“I never thought this horrible place would give me such great friends,” said Sarah.

Gregory cleared his throat.

“Well, it _was_ horrible _then,”_ she hurriedly corrected. “What I’m trying to say is I’m glad to have met you all. Without you, I don’t know if I could have returned to reality.”

“Oh come on now Sarah, we’re a team!” Angel Dog punched her shoulder playfully. “You know we only do things one way around here.”

“Together?” She asked.

“Together,” chorused everyone.

And they stepped into the darkness as Gregory waved them goodbye.

THE END


End file.
